Surprisingly, “paying existing workers more” didn’t make the list. Businesses are unhappy their margins are going to compress with the go forward cost of labor, and taxpayers are unhappy they’ll have to pay more to compensate workers providing government funded services (healthcare, education, schoolbus drivers, etc). The US has hit its “labor credit limit” and is cranky about it.
Example: https://www.eastidahonews.com/2023/09/idahos-direct-care-wor...
> The committee heard follow-ups to a February report issued by the Office of Performance Evaluations that found Idaho’s direct care workforce is short about 3,000 workers compared to national staffing levels. That report identified low pay as an issue for the program primarily paid by Idaho Medicaid, whose rates “do not support sustainable competitive wages for direct care workers,” and create a “wage cap,” the report found. The typical nursing assistant in direct care made $14.16 per hour and could earn 39% more by leaving direct care, the report said.
There is no labor shortage, there is simply no longer surplus labor (due to covid deaths combined with structural demographics) enabling churn that kept wages low.