The Economy in Profound Transition: The Disruptive Realities of the Pandemic and the New Industrial Revolution

Abstract

The mass economic upheaval of the past 2 years created conditions in the labor market not seen for 70 years prompting many to ask, “Where have all the workers gone?” The absence of willing workers to enter the job market is indicative of worker dissatisfaction causing mass resignations, a reassessment of workplace conditions, positive migration, and a perceived position of newfound power. Such shifts in the economy suggest renewed worker interest in union activities that may usher in a period of aggressive collective bargaining and energized organizing campaigns not seen since the early 1950s.