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Health & Home Wellness

The Importance of Finding Your Passion as an Adult

It is essential to have a passion growing up. Knowing that you have a passion doesn’t let you give up on life so easily, and from there, you gain all your energy and creativity. The more passionate you are, the more capable and motivated you become when making good use of your time. Can you imagine a life in which you don’t have a passion? That’s definitely unimaginable and scary.

For some people, their passion is the reason for their existence, and it’s something very meaningful to them. If you’re still in the process of finding yours, mentioned below are a few reasons why it is so important to hunt for your passion as an adult.

Allows You To Explore Different Things

To find a passion, there are different things you have to do in order to find out. Waking up every day to a new activity doesn’t only keep you busy, but it also helps you explore your strengths and develop a passion. This could be working out every morning, learning how to cook something, or writing a small piece every day. It will also make you feel like you’ve done something productive. So with finding a passion also ignites a lot of other things, and it’s definitely worth the try.

Keeps You Aware Of Everything Going Around You

When trying to find out your passion, there are a few questions you have to ask yourself. You can write down these questions or answer them in your head. Questions such as: “do I need a passion that has more money? Or “what is something that excites me?” “What are my strengths?” These are some of the many questions you should ask yourself, and take a look at all the answers. These small answers will help you find the pathway to your passion and definitely the right one for you.

Taking Small Steps

The answers you have from the above point will allow you to take small steps and even help you explore beyond your hobbies. The more you explore, the more assured you will feel when you select a specific passion. As mentioned earlier, try out different activities or things that interest you, and from there on, you can tell which one is the best for you.

Finding A Passion Will Help You Discover More About Yourself

There is no such thing as having one passion for the rest of your life. Passions tend to evolve, and that’s completely fine. You can always find new ones to pursue, as, in the end, life is all about exploring. Staying stuck in one field can get a bit boring, but if that’s the only thing you’re passionate about, then do it right away and show your worth.

Finding Your Passion Takeaway

Hopefully, with the help of this article, you can tell how important it is to find your passion as an adult. There are so many ways you can do that, and all you have to do is trust your instincts and rely on yourself. Once you’ve found it, you will surely do wonders with it.

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Financial Loans Real Estate

Low-Income Home Loans: What Are Your Options?

Working a job that provides a low-income can make homeownership seem like an impossible goal. Luckily, there are a variety of options available to assist those with a low income in buying a suitable home.

In this article, we’ll cover some of the most well-known home loans that cater to low-income individuals and families in some way.

Homeownership Vouchers

The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) allows families assisted in the program to use a voucher to purchase a home. Families will also receive monthly assistance to help with household expenses. The voucher is only available to those families who are enlisted in the program. It’s also not available in every single housing authority.

Other qualifications for this home loan program are to meet specific income requirements as well as having gainful employment. Participants also need to be first-time homeowners, attend and complete a housing counseling program, and meet any other local eligibility requirements.

Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program

Indigenous people and native Alaskans make up some of the poorest populations in the United States. Because of this, the Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program was created. This program is exclusive to native people and guarantees them a reasonable home loan through private financial institutions.

In order to qualify for this program, you and your family must be enrolled members of your native tribe. You must also be in the process of searching for a home. The maximum loan length through this program is 30 years and there are no prepayment penalties either.

HomeReady and Home Possible Loans

Home Possible and HomeReady are two different loans but they have very similar benefits. HomeReady is a loan program backed by Fannie Mae. It is meant to help low-to-moderate income homeowners either buy or refinance their homes. They do this by reducing the standard down payment and mortgage insurance requirements.

Home Possible is backed by Freddie Mac. It is essentially the same as HomeReady, except that it requires a slightly higher minimum credit score to apply. This is perhaps the most helpful for the general population of low-income individuals as a lower required down payment means you don’t need to save nearly as much in order to purchase your home.

Good Neighbor Next Door

The Good Neighbor Next Door Program is an exclusive program to firefighters, K-12 teachers, law enforcement officers, and emergency medical technicians. The loan allows those in these professions to purchase a home at up to 50 percent less than the list price so long as they promise to live in the residence for at least three years.

Down Payment Assistance

Although it’s not technically a loan on its own, down payment assistance can be paired with your loan to decrease the amount you need to pay down on your house. There are approximately 2,000 down payment assistance programs across the country and they’re typically run through the city government.

There are four main types of down payment assistance: grants, loans that are paid alongside your mortgage, loans with deferred payments, and loans that are forgiven after a number of years. This assistance is typically used by first-time home buyers and past homeowners can use most programs after three years of not owning a home.

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Health & Home Home Improvement

4 Ways To Clean Your Space In 15 Minutes

Some people find it therapeutic to see their house go from a mess to a clean canvas and often even enjoy the process. However, there are also some who think that the chore is least enjoyable. If you are one of those people who genuinely hate cleaning up and decluttering your space, this post is for you.

As an adult, you may understand the importance of tidiness. But picking up your mess, or even others’, if you don’t live alone, can be hard. And, if you think that a neat place requires too much time and energy, here are some easy ways to do it.

You can keep your entire house clean by dedicating just 15 minutes each day to tidying up. It is way better than waiting for a huge mess to pile up before finally deciding to clean it up. Not only will it stress you out, but it will also consume a lot of time this way. So, how should you spend your 15 minutes cleaning every day?

Decide what you call ‘clean.’

Everybody has a different idea of what clean means to them. They have their own triggers and limits that decide whether a space is untidy or neat.

So, first, decide what a clean space looks like in your head. Figure out the things that annoy you and what needs no organization to make your house feel good to you. While you’re at it, don’t forget to keep a general idea of what a clean home may look like. This is especially true if you receive a lot of guests, as you may need to take better care of your space.

Estimate your efficiency and keep a chart

To have an estimate of what you can actually get done in 15 minutes is essential to master the trick. Set a timer for 15 minutes and start cleaning. You can do this for a few days to have an idea of how much you are capable of doing in the time span.

Once you know how much you can get done, make a chart. You can also mark your calendar with what area of your space you wish to cover on a particular day.

Or, if you are making a chart, write down the cleaning days and the areas under them. You can hang it somewhere that won’t be out of sight.

Light maintenance

You have finally decided to spend 15 minutes of your day cleaning, but what kind? You can choose to go either light or heavy with it. Maintenance cleaning can include decluttering, dusting, or vacuuming.

You certainly cannot get everything done at once, but you can totally make little go a long way. A light maintenance strategy is to spend five minutes cleaning a room. This way you can straighten three rooms a day. And if you are consistent, your house will begin to appear clean in a week’s time. 

Deep cleaning

The deep cleaning strategy involves spending 15 minutes on a specific area or room. You may need to do chores like scrubbing, detailed dusting, and moving a little furniture to clean the hidden spaces.

If the room you have decided to do requires a lot of work, you can divide the room into zones. This way, you can do one part each day.

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Business Career & Education Media Tech & Media

Falling Unemployment Could Add To Worries

Introduction

When you hear about the unemployment rate going down, you are led to assume that’s good news. In fact, we have always been taught that a low unemployment rate means the job market – and economy – are strong.

While that is typically and usually true, there are exceptions to that. We are currently in a jobs climate where a falling unemployment rate might be a bad thing in some ways. In fact, some experts are fearful for the future of the U.S. economy because of the dropping unemployment numbers. Why is that? What is causing this fear? How can a low unemployment rate be a bad thing?

What is Unemployment?

Before we can discuss what the latest unemployment numbers mean and how it could be a negative thing for the future of the economy, let’s define what unemployment actually is.

According to the U.S. government, the official unemployment rate is strictly defined as the percentage of workers who are unemployed and actively looking for a job. In other words, it’s the number of Americans who are searching for work and currently don’t have a place paying them for their services.

Recently, the American unemployment rate skyrocketed to heights that hadn’t been seen in decades. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions upon millions of Americans lost their jobs seemingly overnight. In just a matter of weeks, 16.8 million people filed for unemployment due to shelter-at-home orders.

At the height of the virus, more than 20.5 million would-be workers were laid off. That means the unemployment rate was at 14.7%, which surpassed the 10% mark seen in the depths of the financial crisis.

Current Unemployment Numbers

According to the most recent Labor Department figures, the unemployment rate has been reduced to 5.1% from 5.2%. That’s down from around 15% only a few months ago. Those appear to be positive figures.

While any growth is welcome, some are concerned that the figures are insufficient. Economists anticipate that companies recently added 485,000 jobs to their payrolls, an increase over August but not as large as the monthly gains seen earlier in the summer.

But the numbers, while moving in the right direction, have some analysts worried for other reasons.

What Do They Mean?

As previously stated, the official unemployment rate published by the Labor Department only includes jobless persons who are not working nor actively seeking for work. It is important to note that millions of people stopped working and also stopped hunting for jobs when the coronavirus ravaged the economy in early 2020.

These people are left out of the jobs reports from the Labor Department. In many ways, they have given up the hunt for a job that suits them. That is why some analysts and experts are actually worried about the newest job numbers because it means that millions of people are throwing in the towel and no longer looking for employment. That is a dangerous, scary thought and could prove troublesome in the months and years ahead.

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Career & Education Education Financial Government Grants Loans

Furthering-Your-Education Grants

Introduction

Millions of hardworking Americans are having to adapt to fewer jobs or limited options by furthering their education in order to increase their value in a competitive job market, and the federal government offers a variety of options for prospective or current students who want to further their education.

Aimed towards a variety of fields of study and demographics, new college students and diligent adults wanting to continue their schooling are urged to check into the dozens, if not hundreds, of government grants that are available to help them thrive in their profession. These grants are the key to going through school, studying hard, and finding a career that is right for them. It’s a major difference maker for millions of people who want to study hard and worker harder but require some assistance to meet their goals.

Education Grants

Many of the most positive grants available to students through the federal government are basically scholarships, which are offered by government agencies such as the US Department of Education’s Office of Student Financial Assistance Programs, or specialized foundations named after the scholarship.

Some federal furthering-your-education grants adhere to a wide range of interests, and simply target a particular demographic, such as minorities, or American Veterans. Students who do not fit into a specific subject or demographic will also have choices. The US Department of Education manages the Federal Pell Award Program, which is more of a “blanket” grant that may cover a wide range of career ambitions, age groups, and general sorts of students over the age of 18. Essentially, a demonstrated and demonstrable need for financial help is the most important criteria for awards like the Federal Pell Grant.

Learn More About These Grants

Furthermore, candidates should be aware that Education Grants can come in a variety of formats. While scholarships and direct disbursements of cash for educational reasons are perhaps the most popular awards, long-term, low-interest loans are also available to assist pay the costs of school, housing, household expenditures, and other necessities for both full-time and part-time students.

Colleges, universities, and private schools all have their own set of awards to assist improve the quality of their educational equipment, personnel, and materials, which benefits present and future students indirectly.

Conclusion

With help from the federal government, potential students of all abilities and ages, and at all phases of life, will be able to further their careers and, ideally, their income. The educational scholarships offered by the Federal Government are designed for prospective students who need it the most and cannot afford a higher education without aid. They help guarantee that everyone has a chance at achieving their professional goals while also creating a wiser, more educated nation.

For generations now, countless Americans have turned to the federal government for help when it comes to going to school. And truly billions upon billions of dollars have been spent to create a base of Americans that is hard-working and devoted to learning more There is money available for most students looking for higher education, they just need to know where to find them.

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Health & Home Recreation & Leisure

Cheaper Gift Guide For The Hard-to-Shop-For Crowd

Are you planning to purchase a gift for a hard-to-shop person? If yes, then try this list of thoughtful and excellent gift options under $50. If you are willing to spend $50 on a person, that means that they have importance in your life. Obviously, who would miss a new pair of leggings or avoid three Sweetgreen salads and buy a gift for someone? If you are doing that you need to make sure that it is something worthing spending your money for. So, if you are all set to read the gift guide, let’s get started:

1.     Customized Modern Calendar

If you or the person you want to give the gift to is a calendar fanatic, then this would be the best option. The best part is your loved ones can use it throughout the year. So, pick the best photos of their family, friends, and pets and make it a special gift. A customized modern calendar can cost up to $35. (Buy Now)

2.     Japanese Kit Kat Box

Who doesn’t love chocolate as a gift? And when it is an assorted box of Japanese Kit Kat, spending $49 is worthwhile. Perhaps, your friend was already chasing this box. You can find these cutest Japanese fruit chocolate boxes and surprise your loved ones with them. (Buy Now)

3.     Sin Porcelain Macaroni Necklace

Want to show your pal how much they mean to you? Give them this porcelain macaroni necklace worth $36 and express your feelings for them. Along with a porcelain macaroni noodle, you will receive a gold-finished chain, which makes it a good deal. (Buy Now)

4.     Terrain Antique Brass Candlestick

No matter if your loved one has a different taste of taste or preference, but they would love an antique brass candlestick. This candle holder will look perfect on their table. This gift will leave a memorable effect in their mind, and they will remember you whenever they look at this candlestick. The best part is that it cost almost half of your budget, which is $28. (Buy Now)

5.     Everlane The Cashmere Neck Warmer

You will find a high-quality neck warmer from Everlane at the price of $50. However, before purchasing, make sure that you choose the right color. These cashmere warmers are comfy and soft, protecting your loved one throughout the winter. (Buy Now)

6.     Everlane ReNew Slipper

Another great option from Everlane. These recycled-fiber slippers while offering a comforting walk to your loved ones. The slipper’s material is sublimely soft, so it wouldn’t be fair to exclude this option from the list. This option will cost you $50. But, there is good news. This product is available with free shipping, so why not purchase one for you as well? (Buy Now)

7.     Modern Indoor Garden Kit

There won’t be a better option to gift a gardening enthusiast. This tool will help your loved ones grow, harvest, tend, and steep chamomile tea for them. Surprisingly, this gardening kit is available at Verishop for $25. (Buy Now)

Conclusion

So, if you finally decided on the gift for your hard-to-shop-for loved one, make sure to wrap it in an eye-catching gift wrapper. Sometimes, the way you present the gift can change the perception of the gift. Now, let’s see how your friend or family will love the gift.

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Health & Home Recreation & Leisure

5 Soup Recipes To Enjoy During Cold Weather

The chilly breeze signals that soup season is here. Here are five delicious soup recipes to welcome the colder months.

1.    Curry Lentil Soup

This filling soup is naturally vegan and soup lovers are a fan. Here is how you can prepare it:

  • Heat oil at medium heat
  • Saute bell pepper and onion until medium brown
  • Add ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes and curry powder
  • Cook until fragrant
  • Add lentils
  • Cook for a minute while stirring occasionally
  • Add tomatoes and cilantro along with water
  • Season with salt and pepper
  • Add in coconut milk
  • Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat
  • Let it simmer and stir occasionally
  • Taste it and adjust salt and pepper if needed

2.    Sopa de Ajo

It is a very healthy Spanish soup that uses 7 simple ingredients. To prepare it:

  • Heat a large pot on medium heat
  • Add garlic and olive oil
  • Let garlic simmer until fragrant
  • Add salt and wine
  • Cook for 2 more minutes
  • Add paprika and stir
  • Add water, vegetable or chicken stock and bring it to a boil
  • Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes
  • Add 2 whisked eggs into the soup and cook for 2 minutes
  • Immediately serve with a few crutons

3.    Tomato Basil Soup

Tomato basil soup is incredibly comforting with the rich flavors of tomatoes. It can quickly be prepared in an instant pot.

  • Allow your pot to heat up
  • Add butter and let it melt
  • Add in onions and cook them until translucent
  • Now add tomato puree and dice tomatoes and stir
  • Add chicken cubes, sugar, salt and pepper, and stir
  • Lock the lid
  • Set your cooker’s timer to 3 minutes
  • After the timer is up, set to vent and give it an additional ten minutes time
  • Add basil, parsley, heavy cream and sherry while stirring
  • Sprinkle parseman before serving

4.    Turmeric Chickpea Basil

You can prepare it for lunch or dinner. It is a very filling that does a good job at warming you up.

  • Heat a big pot
  • Add olive oil over high heat
  • Add in onions, celery, carrots and red pepper.
  • Cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender
  • Occasionally stir so as to avoid the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pan
  • Add garlic and cook for two more minutes
  • Add salt, turmeric, ginger, paprika, cayenne pepper, bay leaf and cauliflower florets
  • Pour vegetable broth and bring it to a boil
  • Stir in chopped kale and chickpeas
  • Serve warm

5.    Creamy Roasted Mushroom Soup

Soup lovers love this creamy rich soup. Here is how you can prepare it at home:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  • Place mushrooms onto it
  • Add olive oil, 4 springs of thyme and half a garlic
  • Season with salt and pepper and toss
  • Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes
  • Set aside to let it cool before chopping coarsely
  • Melt butter in a stockpot over medium heat
  • Add onion and stir until golden
  • Stir in garlic
  • Whisk in flour and let it turn brown
  • Stir in wine
  • Pour chicken stock, thyme and bay leaves
  • Season with salt and pepper
  • Bring it to a boil then reduce heat to let it simmer for 15 minutes
  • Add in mushrooms and simmer for an additional 10 to 15 minutes
  • Immediately serve
Categories
Health & Home Media Recreation & Leisure Tech & Media

What Is ‘Squid Game’? Netflix Series Explained

The unexpected no.1 show on Netflix of this year is a Korean drama called ‘Squid Game.’ It reached an impressive milestone just four days after its release. It is the biggest series launch of the company and the first Korean series to hit the top.

If you ever had any preconceived notions about K-dramas, it’s time to lay them to rest because Squid Game is not your ordinary K-drama. This is because its leading themes are particularly bloodshed and violence. Released on 17 September 2021, it is still a hot entertainment topic across the world, even a month later. Its blood-soaked ensemble and dark humor are highly addictive and worth binge-watching, according to numerous Netflix users.

Here is all to know about the popular show. So, whether you’re already a fan with questions or wish to know what the hype is about, read on.

Disclaimer: There may be little spoilers, though only to explain the basics.

‘Squid Game’- The idea of the show

According to the creator Hwang Dong-Hyuk, the squid game is a children’s game that they play on a squid-shaped court. This is explained in the first episode by the series’ main character, Seong Gi-hun. The game he played with his friends in the neighborhood during his childhood years ultimately takes a deadly turn in the upcoming episodes.

Written and directed by Hwang, the squid game was scripted in 2008 but faced numerous rejections from all production houses that he approached. He drew the series from his financial struggles and humble beginnings. Inspired by Hwang’s life, he turns the children’s games graphic by incorporating physical and psychological twists. This means the taut thriller can be found to be very disturbing for some viewers.

What is Squid Game about- The survival drama

The series is a contest among 456 desperately indebted groups of players with a prize of KRW 45.6 million. These players from all walks of life are first tricked into a blood-soaked tournament. They then realize that their only chance to win the cash that they needed to survive maybe volunteering to play unto death. Each death wins them hundreds of millions, but the chance of survival is quite low.

The series focuses on a lead character, Gi-hun, who is unable to provide for and is on the verge of losing his daughter. Not only this but his elderly mother is also shown as very ill. Likewise, each player is very desperate to win money, which there is their main motivation to participate in the fatal game. It is a horror drama series, but the flawed characters also evoke feelings of sympathy among the audience.

Squid game may give you some Hunger Games vibes, but the show is quite remarkable on its own. It is well-performed and powerfully scripted, which makes it so addictive. You will see iconic costumes which resonate perfectly with the Halloween season and theme. And, the urgency in the show makes everyone want to binge-watch all at once. You will keep coming back after every episode, even if it is just to see who lives or dies. The graphic thriller is a crowd’s favorite for its roller-coaster final episode. There are also some great meme-worthy scenes that contribute to the show’s popularity.

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Media Tech & Media

COVID Boosters Are Coming: Here’s What to Know

Introduction

The amount of people in the United States who have received two doses of the COVID vaccine is high, although it could always be higher. However, while many people assumed that they would be done with the vaccine regiment after the initial two shots, it now seems like more shots are coming for those who wish to combat the virus.

The idea of boosters seemed foreign even just a few months ago but now it sounds like an absolute certainty. If you are one of the millions who took both shots, you will need one more to keep your immune system strong.

COVID booster doses will be available in the United States in September, according to public health experts such as the CDC and Health and Human Services Department. According to a proposal revealed by government agencies, all people in the United States who received a two-dose vaccine will be eligible for an extra Pfizer or Moderna vaccine eight months after their second dosage.

What are COVID boosters? Why are they needed? Most importantly, do you need them?

Why are COVID Boosters Needed?

Essentially, a booster shot is yet another way to keep your strength against the virus strong. When you receive a booster shot, you are allowing your immune system to stay strong as the virus remains around.

The Delta variant has made the coronavirus so much stronger than people predicted. If it weren’t for Delta, the virus would have likely been nearly gone by now. But with the Delta Variant, as well as too many people unvaccinated, the virus is still evident in most of the country. That is why a booster is so smart. It will keep healthy people healthy and will stop the spread of the virus as more and more get vaccinated.

Is There a Difference Between a Booster and Third Shot?

A booster injection is similar to a third vaccination dose in many respects. Not all extra vaccination doses, however, are boosters.

The FDA authorized a third dosage of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for immunocompromised persons in August 2021. This includes persons living with HIV and those undergoing immune-suppressing cancer therapy. The extra dose isn’t a booster for them. Instead, it’s included in their first round of vaccinations.

However, for those who are not immunocompromised, a booster shot really is a lot like just getting a third vaccine injection. However, that doesn’t limit its importance at all.

Who Needs Boosters?

For people who received the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccinations, a booster is suggested at least six months after the second dosage for those who are:

  • 18 to 64 years old and at high risk for severe illness from COVID. That means people with lung disease, cancer, or diabetes are prime candidates for the booster.
  • Anyone 65 or olders
  • Citizens living or working in high-exposure settings. This is people who are healthcare workers, teachers, grocery workers, prisoners, or those who live or work in long-term care facilities.

Like the vaccine shots that came before, the boosters will be covered by insurance or a free program via the government.

 

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Business Career & Education Media Tech & Media

Worker Shortage May Keep a Lid on Job Growth

Introduction

While some people feel that the coronavirus pandemic is coming to an end and the worst is behind us, there are many signs that the pandemic is surging still. Ultimately, this is causing serious havoc for businesses and people all over the world. Things related to coronavirus are better, there is no doubt about that, but there is still a way to go.

The latest job numbers from the American Labor Department prove that the coronavirus pandemic is still affecting unemployment rate. The impact of the virus as well as a nationwide worker shortage is keeping the jobs market in unsteady shape. People are very unsure of what comes ahead. Many agree that we are definitely not out of the woods yet.

Current Job Numbers

Employers in the United States added just 194,000 jobs in September, a second consecutive sluggish increase and evidence that the epidemic is still wreaking havoc on the economy, with many businesses failing to fill millions of available positions.

According to the data released, the unemployment rate fell from 5.2 percent to 4.8 percent in September of 2021. The unemployment rate declined partly because more individuals found work. However, it also dropped. This is because approximately 180,000 people did not seek work in September, so they were not listed as jobless. In many ways, they were throwing in the towel and giving up their hunt for a job.

The economy’s slow job growth in September fell short of even the meager 336,000 jobs gained in August, and were the fewest since December, when companies actually lost employment.

Delta Variant

The labor market is becoming even more complicated thanks to a resurgence of the coronavirus, the Delta variant.

There was a time when it looked as if the virus was subsiding in America. Then the emergence of the Delta variant complicated everything. The number of cases surged to heights not seen since last year. And that changed how people worked. Thankfully, it seems as if the United States is once again turning a corner on the virus and things are getting better.

With verified new COVID-19 infections dropping, restaurant traffic ticking up marginally, and customers eager to spend, the economy is showing signs of escaping from the drag of the delta strain of the coronavirus.

But when September began, the number of new illnesses remained high. This caused decreased hours at many jobs and a fear from customers and employees to visit businesses.

Additionally, employers are still having difficulty finding workers since many people who lost their employment due to the epidemic have yet to seek work or have decided to move on and find a new career. Many economists have been perplexed by the longevity of that pattern, which has resulted in a record number of job opportunities. The demand for labor is high, so are the number of people looking for new jobs.

Conclusion

Combined, the Delta variant and lacking unemployment numbers are limiting the amount of job growth possible. While many predicted that this current time would find a booming economy, it seems as if the return to normalcy and prosperity has been put on hold for a bit longer.