WASHINGTON, D.C. — On this Labor Day U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said he’s thinking about the American workers who have faced challenges because of the pandemic.
Walsh, in a conversation recently with MetroNews, said he’s thankful for essential workers and those in health care who have gone to work every day during the past 19 months during the pandemic.
But he said his thoughts are also with the millions who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic. Walsh said four million Americans have gotten their jobs back in recent months.
“We still have a ways to go but we’re still living with the coronavirus, with the Delta variant, so we still have a little more ways to go,” Walsh said. “It’s been tough for everybody. It’s been tough for workers and tough for companies as well.”
The latest U.S. jobs report released last Friday was described as disappointing. Employers created 235,000 jobs in August, the projection was 720,000. There was solid growth in the prior two months. Analysts believe the continued spread of the Delta variant is the reason for the stunted numbers.
Walsh said a vaccinated workforce is a key moving forward.
“We’ll get back to low unemployment rates. We’ll get back to people working again. I think that right now, for the immediate future, I would encourage people to get vaccinated,” Walsh said. “I think that’s one of the best ways to protect yourself, protect your family and protect the economy.”
Walsh visited West Virginia last month. He went into an underground coal mine with U.S. Senator Joe Manchin.
“The work they do is hard work,” Walsh said. “I was so impressed with these workers and how hard they work every day.”