Upwards of 4.5 million Americans voluntarily left their jobs in November, the highest in the two decades the government has been keeping track, according to the Labor Department. Many workers are quitting to take advantage of strong employer demand to pursue more profitable opportunities. Employers posted 10.6 million job openings for the month, down from 11 million the previous month and just below July’s record. The resignations remained concentrated in the leisure, hospitality and retail trade sectors.

Only 17% of workers say their pay has kept pace with inflation. - The New York Times

Covid Drove Workers to Quit. Here’s Why From the Person Who Saw It Coming. - Barron’s

@byHeatherLong: To me, this is the most alarming chart from the Great Resignation: Skyrocketing quits in health care. Doctors, nurses, aides and more are burned out and we're still in a pandemic. Healthcare quit rate: March: 2.3% April 2.5 May 2.4 June 2.5 July 2.7 Aug 2.8 Sept 2.8 Oct 2.7 Nov: 3%

A new gauge from the New York Federal Reserve shows global supply chain pressures that have been blamed for disrupting the flow of goods and high inflation may have finally peaked. Known as the Global Supply Chain Pressure Index, the new metric suggests global supply pressures are about 4.5 standard deviations above normal but might start to moderate. The prediction comes as companies have begun testing whether the U.S. can regain some of the manufacturing output it ceded in recent decades.

Biden hungry to squelch food inflation - Axios

Covid-19, Inflation Make a Mess Out of Predictions - The Wall Street Journal

@fadde: At the end of 2021, inflation hit a 40-year high of 6.8%; adjusted pay was 1.9% lower YoY; and rent growth was 17.8% (pre-pandemic rent growth was 2.6%). Inflation is affecting everyone, especially the most economically vulnerable. Lawmakers must make this the top priority.

Officials across the U.S. have been insistent on avoiding shutting down businesses or ordering closures to contain the latest coronavirus surge, but omicron may be taking the decision out of their hands as many workers are testing positive, leading to staff shortages. To combat the spread, President Joe Biden said the U.S. will double its order for a pill from Pfizer to treat COVID infections so it has enough courses for 20 million people.

Chicago public school classes are canceled after teachers union backs remote learning - NPR

Hong Kong Bans Flights, Shutters Nightlife After Omicron Bursts Pandemic-Free Bubble - The Wall Street Journal

@luckytran: Uncontrolled transmission leads to mass closures, but more chaotically and unpredictably than if we intentionally help people to work from home and implement public health measures that keep workers safe. We either control COVID or COVID controls us.

More than a quarter of all professional job positions across North America are expected to be fully remote by the end of this year, up 18% from at the end of 2021, according to a new report from Ladders Inc. The report predicts that more than 20 million jobs will not be going back to the office after the pandemic. Many employees have grown accustomed to the more flexible working arrangements and are not willing to go back into the office full time.

Future of Work: Computer vision and machine learning may soon bolster restaurant jobs - The Washington Post

@Gleb_Tsipursky: To prevent work-from-home burnout, reframe your company culture and policies to remote work as the new normal. @TrainingMagUS #riskmanagement #emotionalintelligence #neuroscience

The number of children and teens killed by gunfire has risen sharply during the pandemic, with researchers saying the increase is a product of rising nationwide homicide rates, untreated traumas of COVID-19 and a surge in pandemic gun-buying. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 50% increase in the rate of gun death of children 14 and younger from the end of 2019 to the end of 2020 and the toll appears to