American Airlines cancelled hundreds of flights just as people emerged from the 2020 lockdowns and travel began to increase. The reason for the cancellations? Staff shortage. The timing couldn’t have been worse, but American Airlines wasn’t alone. Lack of staff and increases in worker resignations means customers are facing long wait times, limited access to services due to reduced hours, and fewer options. Help wanted signs are popping up everywhere, while weak new jobs numbers seem confusingly unrelated. Labor shortage issues are affecting everyone, from employers to customers to the employees trying to pick up the slack for missing staff. The question everyone is asking is, what is causing this, and then, more importantly, how to fix the problems stemming from it.