Substance abuse rose in the pandemic. That may explain our slow to return to work, study shows
Millions of Americans turned to substances as a way to cope with the stress of the pandemic. New research shows that may be a factor in why some people can't return to work.
The U.S. workforce has yet to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels, and researchers are shedding light on one factor that may be contributing to the labor shortage in the U.S.: substance abuse.
A rise in drug abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic could account for between 9% to 26% of the decline in labor force participation among people aged 25 to 54 between February 2020 and June 2021, according to a new working paper released by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
"It's a bit of a puzzle right now why labor force participation rates are not recovered to pre-pandemic levels," said Karen Kopecky, co-author of the paper and an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. "This is one potential reason why. It's definitely not the only reason."