The COVID-19 pandemic has posed enormous labor management and procurement challenges for employers across the country. According to a survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in August 2021, nearly 90% of 1,200 employers surveyed were struggling to fill open positions, and 73% said they are seeing a decrease in applications for those hard-to-fill positions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey (CPS), 15.5% of individuals aged 25-54 worked from home due to the pandemic. While this is down from the high of 38.8% in May 2020, it may reflect a shift in the way companies employ individuals going forward.

The proliferation of the remote workforce caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has changed not just domestic employment patterns, but international ones, too. Employers are rapidly pivoting to remote working policies to maintain their competitiveness in the labor market.