Here’s Why Yellen’s Fed Cares About America’s Opioid Epidemic
- Fed officials are bringing up America’s addiction crisis
- Abuse is both an economic symptom and driver of labor problems
The Fed Reckons With America's Opioid Epidemic
Bill Polacek’s industry is dealing with a labor market problem so big, even Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen is talking about it.
A few years ago, Polacek interviewed 350 people to fill openings for 50 welders and machinists at his Johnstown, Pennsylvania-based manufacturing company. After narrowing the pool down to 100, he found that half of those candidates either had a criminal record or failed the drug test.