US economy: Plenty of growth, not enough workers or supplies
Some say the labor shortage is nothing that cant be solved the old-fashioned way: By raising pay and offering more generous benefits and working conditions. In fact, that process appears to have begun: Average hourly wages rose solidly in April and May.
Consider Gina Schaefer, who owns 13 Ace hardware stores in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., and who has been rapidly staffing up for the spring and summer, when her sales typically hit highs.
Schaefer has hired nearly 120 people since March,…
