Re Linda K. Wertheimer’s March 24 op-ed about her brother’s plight (“Can we save people like my brother from the economic impact of the coronavirus?” March 24): Federal, state, and municipal governments should step up funding and hiring personnel to create and enhance job clearinghouses for those who have lost work and those who need to hire workers.
Huge categories of people have already lost their jobs or will soon: food and hotel service workers, massage and physical therapists, and people in retail, education, entertainment, and travel. At the same time, demand for labor will grow exponentially in the health care fields.
While US automakers are stepping up production of ventilators and face masks, cities and states must work on labor issues. Training centers could be set up so that those who already have experience in working with human anatomy (physical therapists and massage therapists, for example) can receive training. High school students could be trained as orderlies. Computer tech people should be hired to create websites and labor experts mobilized to match supply and demand.
Given the inevitable bumpiness in the labor market for the foreseeable future, national, state, and municipal governments must step in to help.
Elizabeth Wood
Jamaica Plain