If you’re returning to in-person work, perhaps your workplace looks emptier than it did a year ago.

“I have been through recessions," said Carol Fletcher, president of C. R. Fletcher Associates. "This...I’ve never seen anything like this. The market has never been like this, in my opinion."

“Come September, when that drops, there will be a flood on the market, and possibly these great jobs won’t be there,” she said.

Fletcher says employees are looking for more flexibility, and the current government incentives make it tough to return to jobs that are low pay, in-person and have varying hours.

Since 2010, employment steadily increased, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But in 2020, employment fell by 9.4 million jobs.

The bureau notes that job losses were greatest in areas that require in-person and face-to-face interaction — jobs that can’t offer remote work.

“Health care, hospitals, online workers, manufacturing, they have to be on-site,” said Fletcher.

The industries with the lowest earnings saw the greatest loss in workers.

Hospitality and retail jobs pay among the least. Hospitality accounts for 39% of the decline in February to April of 2020, and retail for 11%.

The pressure on employers is undeniable. Workers want change.

“Unfortunately, I think that’s what's going to have to happen," said Fletcher. "It's very difficult on employers, but that's what we're seeing more and more, and other companies competing with others who are flexible."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, despite the worker shortage, we are seeing some of the fastest rates of job growth nationwide.