Just as we made the resounding case for automation in the article, “Automation and food processing today: It’s about labor“ architectural & engineering/construction firms (A&E/Cs) see labor as not only an issue for their own staffs, but more important as a major influence on where food and beverage processors are locating plants. And if you look at what was reported to be the second most important concern in locating a facility, it would be close to reliable logistics—and of course, supply chain reliability has been a major problem for the last couple of years—due again to primarily labor shortages.
While the U.S. government Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the news media happily reported the low national unemployment rate of 3.6% in April 2022, the number is misleading. Why? While labor statistics look good at the time of this writing, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 47 million workers quit their jobs in 2021—known as “The Great Resignation.” [1] Many people are off the record, after having been unemployed for a period of time that they are no longer tracked.