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Top 10 stories of 2021: No. 7: Virus-induced changes in economy have long-lasting effects | Connecticut & Region

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As the year draws to a close, the Journal Inquirer has compiled a list of the Top 10 Stories of 2021. This is the next in that series, which concludes on Dec. 31.

A year after one of the worst economic downturns since the Great Recession, 2021 ushered in renewed hope that COVID-19 vaccines would restore some sense of normalcy.

But new variants of the virus complicated plans for a full comeback. Some large companies were forced to lay off workers, while other companies, especially those in the restaurant and retail industries, are desperately looking to fill vacancies.

New workforce trends emerged this year, partly in response to the precarious nature of the pandemic. Many companies chose to adopt a remote work model where employees could work from home, leading to empty office space.

Also, a large number of workers decided to quit their jobs to pursue other opportunities, during a period of time that became known as The Great Resignation.

With the highly contagious omicron variant now spreading across the country, the economy could be once again facing similar uncertainty.

While some companies — including some Hartford insurers — that had planned to start bringing workers back have delayed that due to the recent rise in COVID rates, others decided to make the change permanent.

Pratt & Whitney in July announced that the majority of its salaried workforce would continue to work remotely.

Of the approximately 8,200 salaried employees who work at Pratt’s headquarters in East Hartford, up to 80%, or about 6,600, will work remotely at least part of the time, returning to the office only when needed, spokeswoman Jenny Dervin said.

With a reduced need for office space, Dervin said the company will use only four of its buildings for offices moving forward, a reduction of about half.

Many companies like Pratt & Whitney have had to redesign their blueprint for getting work done, which involved allowing workers greater flexibility.

“We’re now carrying those benefits into the future,” Pratt & Whitney President Chris Calio said in a news release.

Hartford-based insurance companies also relied on remote work. Major downtown Hartford employer Travelers Cos. said this week it would indefinitely delay its scheduled return to offices previously planned for January.

The Hartford Financial Services Group, which also employs thousands of people in Hartford, also recently announced it was indefinitely delaying workers’ return to the office.

Windsor resident Erika Lyn Hallberg-Moule, 53, recently started work at Deloitte after quitting her old job in procurement because the company didn’t offer full-time remote work. She said she’s noticed that more workers are gravitating toward jobs with increased flexibility, including working from home.

COVID-19 “showed me how the workforce is kind of changing … and how people who are looking for jobs now are being a little bit more picky about work-life balance,” Hallberg-Moule said.

Hallberg-Moule’s experience represents another unusual labor trend that has emerged this year. Connecticut workers are quitting their jobs in record numbers, and for a variety of reasons during a period of time that has been dubbed “The Great Resignation.” Many of them left for other jobs.

Patrick Flaherty, an economist at the state Labor Department, said that many people have quit their jobs to pursue a “golden ticket,” but he envisions the trend settling down.

The large number of people voluntarily leaving their jobs has hampered many employers struggling to fill vacancies amid a labor shortage, according to Chris DiPentima, who is the president of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association. An annual CBIA survey found that 80% of employers reported difficulty finding and retaining employees and 35% said the labor shortage is the greatest obstacle to growth.

But Manchester resident Jan Wankowicz, who quit his job as a construction worker during the pandemic, said Connecticut workers are seeking high-paying opportunities during time of worker empowerment.

“Joe Bob landscaper who can’t find anybody to go blow leaves for 15 an hour doesn’t understand that the whole working class that he’s been used to exploiting is working in a warehouse third shift making 30 bucks an hour,” Wankowicz said. “They’re really just making a smarter capitalist play than he is.”

Austin Mirmina covers Manchester and Bolton.

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