On The Mark: Workforce takes a hit from lingering pandemic

It’s been a tough year for most of us. We lost many people, especially among our elderly populations. Many workers lost their jobs. Others had to show up, especially those in our health care centers, at considerable personal risk. Many businesses closed, laid off workers, and/or weathered a collapse in sales and earnings.

As the ranks of laid-off workers expanded, many others chose to leave work to take care of preschoolers, school-aged kids or sick family members. Many of us have had to dip into savings, defer vacations, and/or face higher medical expenses. Most of us know someone we care abo...