(Omaha, NE) -- A study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln shows thousands of workers should return to the Omaha workforce in 2022.
"About half of the 12,500 who have left the Omaha area labor force, about 6,000 of them should return over the next 12 months,” said Eric Thompson, UNL Bureau of Business Research Director.
Thompson tells 6 News the labor shortage will still be an issue moving forward.
“I don’t think that all of the lost workers will come back. We are in a period where the baby boom generation is retiring over time and so the long-term trend is for some decline in labor force participation,” said Thompson.
He expects employers to make some changes to accommodate the overall decline in labor force participation.
The Greater Omaha Chamber tells 6 News they are working on a long-term plan to help attract more workers to the metro.