Department of Motor Vehicles office. Both were
closed because of staffing shortages.
Many companies, she said, probably also
delayed hiring plans last month. ADP’s surveys
of its small and mid-size companies show that
the number of companies that are seeking to
add workers remains elevated, a sign that hiring
will likely rebound.
“There is good evidence that suggests January
is a speed bump, not a road block, on the way to
recovery,” Richardson said.
Previous waves of the pandemic have also
caused temporary job losses. In December 2020,
the economy lost 306,000 jobs, according to the
government’s tally, in the midst of a winter surge
of infections before vaccines were developed.
Winter storms may also have slowed the
economy and hiring last month, according to a
report by UKG, which provides scheduling and
other staffing software to companies. UKG said
the number of shifts worked among its 35,000
business customers fell 5.1% in January, much
steeper than the 3% drop that occurred in
January 2021.
But the decline in shifts worked slowed at the end
of the month as weather improved in most of the
country and COVID infections began to wane.
“While the impact resulted in the largest decline
in workforce activity we’ve seen since the
pandemic began, this impact is expected to be
temporary,” said Dave Gilbertson, vice president
of UKG.