Child Care Needs Cause Problems in Factories

Even as orders and output recover for many manufacturers, executives say the challenge of keeping workers on the line is threatening the recovery, because many workers are staying home to watch children who aren’t at day care or school.

Nearly half of manufacturers said child-care constraints caused by the coronavirus made it difficult to recall furloughed workers or hire new ones in August, according to a survey by the Fed in Philadelphia.

Employers are responding by setting up day care options in workplaces and thinking creatively about schedules. At a metal fabrication plant in Milwaukee, three employees recently switched to the weekend shift—working three 12-hour days—to take care of children during the week.

Source: The Wall Street Journal