I welcome this trend, since it gives workers more leverage to negotiate higher wages. The whole reason serfdom transitioned to capitalism was a massive reduction of workers due to the Black Plague.
I don't know that it's any better in the counties with shrinking population. The shrinking population reduces demand for all the services they might have been able to perform at a higher wage. And housing prices still seem to be rising. Again, not a big deal if you already own a home, but I think it locks out a good portion of a whole generation from home ownership.