Thousands  of small businesses have closed down in the US and around the world due  to stringent lockdowns and other health restrictions caused by official  government policies concerning the Covid 19 virus. Such business  closures would normally result in a surplus of workers in a depressed  labor market, where wages contract as millions compete for fewer  available jobs. However, the opposite has happened in the US, which has  greatly puzzled economists and financial experts.

Today,  thousands of companies are desperate for labor and are offering bonuses  and inducements for new workers to sign on.  This is how Newsweek explains the current US situation: