Few things have been as upended during the pandemic as the labor market.
Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, the Biden administration’s point person for dealing with the labor market disruption, has faced a mountain of crises that will continue to prove challenging in 2022. Joblessness is still well above what it was before the pandemic; worker shortages threaten several sectors from airlines to restaurants, and workplaces have been mired in lingering safety issues that many have looked to the Department of Labor to resolve. There’s also the existential questions about labor policy like gig work and minimum wage, both of which the agency plays a big role in shaping.
