Current Events in June 2021

The digital world’s king of the hill has decided it will alter its global advertising business to keep from abusing its dominance.

In a landmark deal struck with French authorities, Google has finally moved its position after facing pressure from regulators over antitrust concerns. The agreement the company made with a French competition watchdog, which includes a settlement of 220 million euros ($268.2 million), is designed to reset the advertising playing field and give publishers a more advantageous position.

“The decision to sanction Google is of particular significance because it’s the first decision in the world focusing on the complex algorithmic auction processes on which the online ad business relies,” said Isabelle de Silva, President of the French Competition Authority.

Where Google went wrong

Google drew the ire of French regulators because its Ad Manager platform provided its ad exchange network, Google AdX, with inside information on bidding prices for ads. That essentially handed Google all the data it needed to remain competitive.

The French authority said AdX also gained privileged access to requests made by advertisers via Google's ad services. That access created concerns that Google would have too much control over online advertising when it bought AdX.

What changes will we see?

The primary change Google has agreed to make will give publishers a more advantageous position. Going forward, the company agreed to upgrade the way its Ad Manager services worked with competitors.

However, consumers, advertisers, and publishers won’t see these changes overnight. Even though Google won’t be appealing the legal decision, it has until the first quarter of 2022 before it needs to have some of the pieces of the agreement in place.

French finance minister Bruno Le Maire welcomed the move, saying “these are serious practices and they have been rightly sanctioned.”

Will other dominoes fall?

News of Google’s acquiescence might be today’s biggest watercooler topic in Silicon Valley. Executives at Apple and Facebook might be giving a second thought to being defiant over their own antitrust allegations. 

Just last week, Facebook was hit with two new investigations in the U.K. and Europe, with regulators planning to take a closer look at whether Facebook Marketplace and Facebook Dating have an unfair advantage over competitors.

If anyone doubts Ford’s commitment to electric vehicles, consider this: According to Automotive News, the automaker has produced more of the electric version of the Mustang this year than the gasoline-powered version.

So far in 2021, Ford has built 27,816 Mustang Mach-E models -- the electric version of its iconic sports car. That compares with 26,089 traditional Mustang models that have rolled off the assembly line so far this year.

Ford didn’t sell all those cars, but the Mach-E version was the best-selling car in Norway last month. In the U.S., however, consumers have purchased three times more gas-powered Mustangs than the Mach-E models.

Last month, Ford took the wraps off its electric pick-up truck, the F-150 Lightning. At that event, Ford CEO Jim Farley said the company expects 40% of its models to be electric within nine years. If that turns out to be the case, then consumers may have to rapidly change their attitudes towards electric vehicles. Sales have increased in recent years but are a fraction of total vehicle sales in the U.S.

In a 2012 report, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that consumer demand for these vehicles was lacking when the U.S. government was trying to promote them. 

“If demographic profiles of EV early adopters are accurate, most surveys indicate that the initial market size is quite limited,” the authors wrote.

Same headwinds

Tesla has done a lot to popularize electric vehicles since then, but battery range and sticker price have remained headwinds. A study published in April in Nature Energy looked into the reason that many California buyers have gone back to gasoline-powered transportation. In short, the researchers found that a number of electric vehicle owners consider the cars to be a hassle.

“We show that discontinuance is related to dissatisfaction with the convenience of charging, having other vehicles in the household that are less efficient, not having level 2 (240-volt) charging at home, having fewer household vehicles, and not being male,” the authors of that study wrote.

The volts supplied by the outlet charging the vehicle appear to be a key factor. Standard home outlets -- the kind you might have in your garage -- supply only 120 volts of electricity. It could take days to fully charge an electric vehicle battery.

In fact, the study found many of consumers’ concerns about the technology were the same as the EPA identified nine years ago: price differential, range, recharging infrastructure, and speed of the recharge. 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Gothenburg found that women infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) may be at an increased risk of preterm birth. 

“I would like to point out that the increase in risk for preterm birth is small for the individual woman carrying HPV,” said researcher Johanna Wilk. “But our results support that young people should get into the vaccination program against HPV.” 

Understanding preterm birth risk

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from more than 1 million births recorded in the Swedish Medical Birth Register. They also looked at mothers’ medical histories using the National Quality Registry for Cervical Cancer Prevention and the Swedish Cancer Register. 

The team was interested in both HPV infection and treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), which occurs when there are abnormal changes to cervical cells related to HPV infection. Nearly 12,000 of the participants were infected with HPV, and more than 23,000 women had been treated for CIN. 

The researchers learned that nearly 6% of women with HPV delivered prematurely, compared to 4.6% of women with no history of HPV. Additionally, more than 9% of the women who had received treatment for CIN had preterm births. 

“Our study is register-based and, although we’ve adjusted for various factors in the analyses, we can’t reliably answer the question of whether it’s the virus itself that causes the pregnancy and childbirth complications,” said researcher Verena Sengpiel. “All we can do is show a statistical association. 

The researchers hope that more women are treated and tested when their doctors notice abnormal changes in cervical cells due to HPV infection. Doing so could help increase the chances that women have a healthy pregnancy and successful delivery.

“The earlier these abnormal changes are detected, the better we can follow and treat them,” Wilk said. “And when you’re admitted to maternity care, it’s a good idea to tell your midwife if you’ve had cervical cell changes, and whether you’ve been treated for them. Then the maternity health staff can take that information into account when planning the monitoring of your pregnancy.” 

Twitter is rumored to be close to launching a new service called “Super Follows” as part of a larger plan to earn money from its user base, the Verge reported. The new service would allow Twitter users with high follower counts to charge their followers for exclusive tweets and bonus content. 

App researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who’s known for spotting new features ahead of their official rollout, has shared screenshots of what Twitter’s Super Follows service could look like. In a Sunday tweet, Wong said the service will be available to users with at least 10,000 followers. Users must also be 18 or older and have tweeted at least 25 times in the past 30 days. 

Wong discovered a list of content categories that Super Follows users may be able to choose from to describe their content. Examples of content categories include fashion, sports, podcasting, and more. She noted that “adult content” and “OnlyFans” are listed as “content platforms,” along with Facebook, Substack, Patreon, Twitch, and YouTube.

Finding new revenue streams

Last summer, Twitter said it was looking for ways to boost revenue. CEO Jack Dorsey told analysts in July that the social media site, which is currently free to use, could eventually offer a subscription service. However, he said there’s "a really high bar" for when Twitter would ask users to "pay for aspects of Twitter." 

"We want to make sure any new line of revenue is complementary to our advertising business," Dorsey told analysts. "We do think there is a world where subscription is complementary, where commerce is complementary, where helping people manage paywalls ... we think is complementary."

The company recently launched its Twitter Blue subscription, which gives users access to a number of nice-to-have features in exchange for a small monthly fee, in Australia and Canada. The site’s Super Follows service is likely to be available as soon as Twitter launches Twitter Blue globally. 

Getting kids interested in reading can lead to several academic and developmental benefits. Now, researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center explored how certain reading programs can better prepare preschoolers for entering kindergarten. 

The team explained that a combination of two early reading programs -- Reach Out and Read and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library -- gave preschoolers the literacy skills they needed to be successful in kindergarten. 

“With this early study, we suggest that when combined and sustained, these two programs have the potential for effectively supporting the development of preliteracy skills of large populations of at-risk children, improving kindergarten readiness, and, ultimately, success in school and life,” said researcher Dr. Greg Szumlas. 

The benefits of reading programs

To understand the benefits of the two reading programs, the researchers analyzed data from nearly 3,200 children in Cincinnati over the course of three separate school years. 

All of the children were involved in both the Reach Out and Read program and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The former program supplies books and reading guidance to children from birth through age 5; the latter also sends books to families during the same timeframe.

The children in the study took the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) prior to starting kindergarten so that their literacy skills and overall kindergarten readiness could be measured. The researchers compared their scores with other students in school districts that weren’t involved in either reading program. 

Ultimately, children enrolled in both reading programs performed better on the KRA than other children in the Cincinnati school districts that weren’t participating in the reading programs. Having the extra reading practice translated to scores that were more than 15 percentage points higher than other students in the districts that hadn’t received reading assistance. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope these findings highlight the benefits associated with early exposure to literacy and books. The team says reading with kids from infancy can result in a big advantage when it comes to getting ready for school.

“I can’t stress enough to parents the importance of reading with your child, starting at birth,” said Dr. Szumlas. “Just a few minutes a day, reading aloud, and interacting with your child over books can make a huge difference in helping them prepare and be ready for kindergarten.” 

Walmart and Target have announced sales events to compete with Amazon’s 48-hour Prime Day event.

Amazon announced Wednesday that its sixth annual two-day shopping event will take place on June 21 and June 22 this year. Now, both Target and Walmart have announced that their own sales events will happen on the same dates. 

Walmart's event, which it’s calling "Deals for Days,” will take place from June 20 through the 23. The retailer says consumers will find "Black Friday-like savings” across a number of categories, including electronics, toys, home, beauty, and fashion. 

In an effort to drum up excitement, Walmart has unveiled a few of the deals it’ll be offering. Deals include a $50 discount on a Hisense Roku Smart LED TV, a $20 discount on an 11.6-inch HP Chromebook, and half off a Tobi Robot Smartwatch for kids.

Target’s sales event, called “Deal Days,” will go live on its website from June 20 through June 22. There will be discounts on “hundreds of thousands” of items across every category, including food and beverage for the first time ever. 

The retailer noted that consumers don't need any kind of membership to take advantage of its deals, unlike Prime Day sales that are only available to Prime members. 

“Target Deal Days is bigger and better than ever for all guests, with more days and ways to save, including food and beverage deals this year,” Christina Hennington, executive vice president and chief growth officer, Target, said in a statement. “Our industry-leading, safe and easy fulfillment options deliver same-day joy — with no waiting or membership fee required.”

Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 33,327,911 (33,309,356)

Total U.S. deaths: 596,467 (595,888)

Total global cases: 172,245,410 (171,776,210) 

Total global deaths: 3,703,795 (3,693,623)

U.S. recorded fewer than 10,000 cases on Tuesday

At one point during the pandemic, the U.S. was recording 400,000 new cases of the coronavirus each day. On Tuesday, there were only 9,358 -- the fewest since very early in the pandemic.

“This is the type of news I like to deliver,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at a press briefing.

Walensky says the number of new cases is in a steep decline. The weekly average of cases for the last week of May came in 31% lower than the week before. Walensky said the daily number of new cases is now down 94% from its recent high in January.

FDA clears injectable antibody drug

Even with vaccinations, people may continue to become infected with the COVID-19 virus. When they do, there will be an injectable drug to treat them.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization (EUA) to Regeneron’s injectable form of its monoclonal antibody drug. In clinical trials, the drug was 70% effective in preventing hospitalization and death in patients with mild to moderate symptoms.

The drug, called REGEN-COV, has been used since November to treat patients in the early stages of the virus. Until now, it had to be administered through an IV in a hospital setting. Under the EUA, a doctor or nurse will be able to give it as a shot in an office or clinic setting.

Job growth remains slower than expected

The pandemic hammered the economy and sent unemployment soaring. While employers say they have job openings they can’t fill, the number of Americans taking those jobs remains well below expectations.

As a case in point, economists expected the economy to add 675,000 jobs last month. The Labor Department reports that it added only 559,000.

Most of those jobs came in the battered leisure and hospitality sector as bars and restaurants began to reopen and Americans made travel plans. The retail sector, meanwhile, lost jobs.

Florida law may complicate resumption of cruises

Cruise ships touring the Caribbean are preparing to set sail next month from Florida in a series of test cruises to ensure they are safe. All passengers and crews must be fully vaccinated.

But there’s just one problem: Florida recently enacted a law prohibiting businesses or government entities from requiring people to show proof of vaccination. Critics of the law say that could keep ships in port.

Chris Gray Faust, managing editor of the website Cruise Critic, told NPR that the data he’s seen shows cruise passengers and crew overwhelmingly prefer to be aboard a ship with other vaccinated people. 

To-go alcohol sales will continue in California

States across the nation relaxed alcohol regulations during the pandemic. In California, some of those changes will continue.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Twitter that restaurants and bars in California can continue offering to-go alcoholic beverage sales even after COVID-19 restrictions expire this month, as long as the customer also orders food. It’s a move to help the hard-hit hospitality sector recover.

“California’s restaurants help create the vibrant and diverse communities that make California the envy of the world,” Gavin said. “As the state turns to post-pandemic life, we’ll continue to adapt best practices that have helped businesses transform customer experience for the better.” 

Around the nation

• Michigan: The state House of Representatives has passed a bill banning the use of so-called vaccination passports, even though there has been no proposal made to use them. The measure faces an uncertain future in the state Senate.

• Nevada: The Las Vegas strip is mostly back to normal, and there has been no sign that cases of the virus are increasing so far. In fact, state health officials say the test positivity rate continues its downward trend, dropping to 3.7% this week.

• New Mexico: The state’s reopening map, which changes colors to show the level of COVID-19 restrictions in place, is now a solid turquoise, the least-restrictive level. State health officials say all 33 counties have now dropped most of their restrictions.

Walmart thinks its customer service is so important that it has decided to connect much of its employee base together by giving 740,000 associates a new smartphone loaded with a new all-in-one associate app -- Me@Walmart.

Workers will be given a free Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro smartphone that comes pre-packaged with a case and a protection plan, all free of charge. Associates will only be able to access the app’s work features while they’re on the clock, but they can also use the smartphone as their own personal device if they want to, with all the features and privacy they’re used to.

Walmart is being careful not to rule their employees 24/7, though. Realizing that its employees have a personal life that's different from their one wearing a blue vest, company executives said the app will be loaded with ways to plan for life outside of work -- with the promise of no prying eyes. Walmart says the company will not have access to any personal or private data used in the Me@Walmart app.

Focusing on customer satisfaction

Earlier this year, Walmart stated that customer satisfaction is a priority and that it was hiring necessary workers and retooling its stores to make the shopping experience better. One of the key components of that shift is converting existing store space into part retail space and part fulfillment center space. 

As associates learn how to navigate the changing environments, Me@Walmart can help them simplify and connect the new dots quicker.

“A great customer experience starts with a great associate experience, and our people will always be a competitive advantage,” commented Walmart executive Drew Holler. “As we make enhancements for our customers, we’re also rethinking how we can help our associates succeed in their roles today and deliver some of what they’ll need for the future. The right tools can be the difference between fast and frustrating.”

Improving things for associates, retail stores, and customers

Here’s a breakdown of what Walmart associates will find on their new phone:

Scheduling: The Me@Walmart app allows associates to easily view their shifts as many as two weeks in advance, check on their upcoming paid time off, and request changes to their schedule if needed.

Mobile Clock-In: Goodbye time cards! Using geofencing technology, Walmart workers can clock in with a tap of a button once they arrive at their store.

Push-to-Talk: Remember walkie-talkies? The new app brings back that communication method. The push-to-talk feature will allow associates to instantly connect with one another so they can react collectively to customers’ needs.

Ask Sam: A voice-activated personal assistant for work, the Ask Sam feature saves time by letting associates ask the app questions to quickly locate merchandise and get answers for customers on the spot.

Getting Products on the Shelves Faster: Before the year’s out, another feature will be added to the Me@Walmart app that helps speed up the time it takes stocking associates to get items from the backroom to the sales floor. Instead of sticking with the old way of scanning each box individually to find an item, all associates have to do now is hold up their device and use an augmented reality feature to highlight the boxes that are ready to go. In testing out that feature, Walmart claims restocking will now be three times faster than it was under the manual process.

To make sure it’s got every angle of health safety covered, United Airlines is adding a bonus to the paychecks of pilots and flight attendants who have received their COVID-19 vaccination.

United is the first major U.S. carrier to offer such an incentive, but Delta recently made it a requirement for all new employees to prove they’ve been vaccinated.

Under the agreement the union and airline came to in a special meeting on Wednesday, United flight attendants who have received their vaccine by June 9 will get up to three additional days (a total of nine hours and forty-five minutes) off in their upcoming 2022 vacation day bank. 

Getting vaccinated is purely voluntary, but both the Association of Flight Attendants union (AFA) and the airline say they have a shared priority in getting as many flight attendants vaccinated as quickly as possible for a number of reasons. 

“First and foremost, the vaccine provides an additional layer of protection in addition to mask compliance and cleaning process initiatives,” AFA said in a blog post.

Some countries may require vaccination

The AFA left in a “what if” scenario in the agreement -- one aimed to address a situation in which a country might require flight attendants to be vaccinated.

“It is anticipated, without advance notice, some countries may begin to require flight crews to be vaccinated. In the event a vaccination requirement was to come about, any Flight Attendant not vaccinated and/or who has not provided documentation to substantiate the vaccination to United would be ineligible to work any flight to a destination in a country where a vaccination requirement exists,” the union said.

United pilots will receive something similar to flight attendants. Those who show proof of vaccination before June 10 will get 12 hours of pay and 11 hours of pay after that through June 30, when the incentive ends.

Roughly 80% of United’s estimated 12,500 pilots have been vaccinated, according to a company spokeswoman.

Kroger has announced that customers who get a COVID-19 vaccine will be entered to win $1 million or free groceries for a year. 

The grocery chain said it will give the $1 million prize to five people, and 50 people will receive groceries for a year. The “free groceries for a year" prize is valued at $13,000, which is the equivalent of $250 a week.

The “Community Immunity” giveaway kicked off Thursday (June 3), and it will run through July 10, 2021. Winners will be selected weekly. 

To be eligible to enter, participants must be at least 18 years of age and legally reside in the U.S. They must also have gotten at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine at a Kroger Family Company, or at an offsite vaccination location hosted by a Kroger Family Company. 

Kroger joins a number of other companies in launching a giveaway intended to help American reach President Biden’s goal of having at least 70% of adults vaccinated by July 4. 

CVS Health, United Airlines, Krispy Kreme, Anheuser-Busch, Shake Shack, and Uber and Lyft have all announced incentives and freebies for those who get their COVID-19 shot. 

“Since day one of this pandemic, Kroger’s most urgent priority has been the health and safety of our associates, customers, and communities,” said Erin Rolfes, corporate affairs manager, Cincinnati-Dayton division. “Kroger’s #CommunityImmunity Giveaway is designed to inspire more adults to get vaccinated and help our region recover and move ahead.”

Facebook is putting an end to a policy that keeps politicians from having to abide by the same content moderation rules that other users must follow when posting on the site. 

The tech giant plans to announce on Friday that it will no longer keep posts by politicians up on its platform by default if their speech violates its rules, the New York Times reported, citing sources with knowledge of the plans. 

Once the change has gone into effect, politicians’ posts will no longer automatically be presumed newsworthy. The content in the posts will be subject to content guidelines that prohibit harassment, discrimination, or harmful speech. 

Content that is determined by Facebook to be newsworthy will be protected from being taken down. However, starting Friday, Facebook will add a label that tells users that it has applied the newsworthiness clause to a post. 

Standard rules for all

Reports suggest that the change is largely the result of former President Donald Trump’s controversial social media posts. Facebook sent its decision to suspend Trump indefinitely to the Oversight Board -- a Facebook-funded group that reviews content decisions. 

The Oversight Board said blocking Trump wasn’t entirely appropriate due to the fact that other politicians would still be let off the hook. The group said the “same rules should apply to all users” and gave Facebook until June 5 to respond to its proposed policy changes. 

Facebook is set to discuss its plans for moderating politicians on Friday. The social media giant is also expected to elaborate on its strategy for keeping rule-breaking content off its site. 

Consumers’ diet choices can impact their risk of developing diabetes. While foods high in fat and carbs can increase the risk of diabetes, healthier options like dairy products, whole grains, and eggs can all reduce the risk of diabetes. 

Now, a new study conducted by researchers from the Endocrine Society explored how eating more fruits can be beneficial in lowering the risk of diabetes. According to their findings, having two servings of fruit per day can reduce diabetes risk by more than 35%. 

“We found people who consumed around two servings of fruit per day had a 36 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes over the next five years than those who consumed less than half a serving of fruit per day,” said researcher Nicola Bondonno, Ph.D. “We did not see the same pattern for fruit juice. These findings indicate that a healthy diet and lifestyle which includes the consumption of whole fruits is a great strategy to lower your diabetes risk.” 

Healthier foods, lower disease risk

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from more than 7,600 participants enrolled in the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute’s Australian Diabetes, Obesity, and Lifestyle Study. At the start of the study, the participants completed questionnaires that assessed their diets. The researchers then followed up with the group up to 12 years later to determine their diabetes status and measure their fasting insulin levels, fasting plasma glucose, and insulin sensitivity, among other factors. 

By the five-year mark, the researchers determined that those who incorporated fruit into their daily diets were 36% less likely to develop diabetes. However, this did not hold up for those who drank fruit juice; only whole fruits were associated with the protective health benefits. 

The study also revealed that eating more fruit improved the participants’ insulin response. Regularly eating fruit allowed the participants to use less insulin to naturally lower their blood sugar levels, which can have long-term impacts on other key health markers. 

“This is important because high levels of circulating insulin (hyperinsulinemia) can damage blood vessels and are related not only to diabetes, but also to high blood pressure, obesity, and heart disease,” said Dr. Bondonno. 

Staying physically active is an important component of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. That advice is being showcased in a recent round of recommendations by the American Heart Association (AHA).

The group says more movement and less sedentary time should be a primary focus for those struggling with mildly high cholesterol or blood pressure. The organization released a statement that encourages health care providers to “prescribe” physical activity as a means of improving critical health markers. 

“The current American Heart Association guidelines for diagnosing high blood pressure and cholesterol recognize that otherwise healthy individuals with mildly or moderately elevated levels of these cardiovascular risk factors should actively attempt to reduce these risks,” said researcher Bethany Barone Gibbs, Ph.D. “The first treatment strategy for many of these patients should be healthy lifestyle changes beginning with increasing physical activity.”  

Health benefits of more movement

The experts released their guidance based on the number of consumers who struggle with moderately high cholesterol and blood pressure. They explained that nearly 30% of consumers nationwide struggle with cholesterol, while more than 21% have mildly high blood pressure readings. 

Conversely, consumers who spend more time being physically active and less time sitting are likely to have better health outcomes. Consistent exercise is linked with a 36% lower risk of cardiovascular-related death and a 21% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease. 

“Increasing physical activity can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, along with many other health benefits,” said Dr. Gibbs. 

Exercising more often is associated with tangible results in lowering both cholesterol and blood pressure; cholesterol can be reduced by as much as 6 mg/dL and blood pressure can fall by as much as 4 mm Hg if a person takes part in more regular physical activity. For those that fall in the mildly or moderately high category of either of these measures, that kind of reduction can make significant differences in terms of long-term heart health. 

Using health care providers as a resource

While the AHA recommends that consumers focus on physical activity, it’s important that they also receive resources and support from their health care providers. Changing activity habits can be difficult, so it’s important for doctors to help their patients find activities that are best suited to their needs and interests. They can also be sources of support and encouragement throughout the process. 

Though the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults engage in either 75 minutes of vigorous exercise or 150 minutes of intense exercise each week, increasing physical activity in any way is beneficial to consumers’ heart health. 

“In our world where physical activity is increasingly engineered out of our lives and the overwhelming default is to sit -- and even more so now as the nation and the world is practicing quarantine and isolation to reduce the spread of coronavirus -- the message that we must be relentless in our pursuit to ‘sit less and move more’ throughout the day is more important than ever,” Dr. Gibbs said. 

More Americans returned to work last month, but not as many as economists expected. The Labor Department reports employers filled 559,000 jobs last month.

While it’s a solid number, the consensus estimate among economists was an increase of more than 600,000 jobs following April’s disappointing figure of 260,000 new jobs. The nation’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.8%, the lowest since the start of the pandemic.

The biggest job gains last month occurred in leisure and hospitality as bars and restaurants reopened to full capacity and Americans began to travel again. 

Employment in leisure and hospitality rose by 292,000 last month. Nearly two-thirds of the increase was in food services and drinking places, which added 186,000 jobs.

Employment also rose in amusements, gambling, and recreation establishments. Hotels added 35,000 jobs. Despite the gains, the number of jobs in the sector is down by 2.5 million from its level in February 2020, just before the start of the pandemic.

Other sectors slower to rehire

As schools and universities reopened last month, jobs increased in both public and private education. Employment rose by 53,000 in local government education, by 50,000 in state

government education, and by 41,000 in private education. Again, those numbers pale in comparison to pre-pandemic levels.

Health care and social assistance added 46,000 jobs in May. Employment in health care 

continued to trend up, adding 23,000 positions. Social assistance added 23,000 jobs over the month, largely in child daycare services.

Jobs in retail changed little from April to May. Clothing and clothing accessories stores added 11,000 jobs last month but food and beverage stores shed 26,000 jobs. Overall the retail sector lost 6,000 jobs.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has warned that the U.S. is facing a severe shortage of people willing to take jobs in the post-pandemic economy. The chamber is lobbying for federal and state policy changes that will help train more Americans for in-demand jobs, remove barriers to work, and double the number of visas available for legal immigrants.