A McDonald’s restaurant in downtown Boise advertised $11 hourly wages in spring 2021. By summer 2022, that was up to $15 an hour. The cost of labor has risen as jobs go unfilled. A new report based on census data suggests long COVID could be one cause of worker shortages.
September 13, 2022
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Economic cost of long COVID: Data suggests it's taking a toll on Idaho workforce
An estimated 7.8% to 10.5% of all Idaho adults were suffering from the aftereffects of COVID-19 infections this summer, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Those estimates are based on Idahoans’ self-reported experiences with COVID-19 and “long COVID,” in a new round of surveys the bureau rolled out between June and August. At the time, increasingly infectious versions of the omicron coronavirus variant spread through Idaho.