I'm not sure what to think about the current situation. My wife and other local business owners I've spoken with over the last couple of months (we live on Cape Cod) are having a hard time hiring people, and they're all offering a minimum of $15-$16/hr. If the worker shortage continues, it'll compound in the summer with the tourist season, especially if the typical seasonal workers aren't available due to travel restrictions (many are international).

We're also having trouble with schools and daycares that've become used to closing at 3-4 pm and are unlikely to return to staying open until 5-5:30 pm.

It'll be interesting to see the long-term effects of this accidental experiment over the last year of UBI/shorter work hours. We're lucky enough to afford a nanny to fill the gaps along with family, but I have no idea how other people do it. Part of me hopes it's just the additional family duties and increased unemployment benefits keeping people temporarily out of the workforce for now and not a permanent trend of preferred underemployment. It's been tough seeing so many local businesses go under over the last year.