Jobs are available, but workers are scarce -- the reasons may surprise you

Plenty of jobs are available, but workers are scarce. Why have some people opted out of a booming job market?

Statistics show that 2% fewer people are looking for a job since the start of the pandemic.

That may not sound like much, but the dwindling supply of candidates is hitting just as companies have begun adding record numbers of new jobs – creating a ripple effect impact.

After the pandemic shook up the job economy, many workers who were laid off are now opting for career changes.

Courtney Pernell, for example, pursued her dream of owning her own business. After being laid off during the pandemic, she has now opened her own store, called Bayleaf Market, north of Raleigh.

"The idea just kept growing and growing," she says. Finally, she realized, she really could make her dream a reality.

Her market, which sells candles, baby clothes, paintings, pottery and jewelry, has made running a business possible for 80 other local artists.

She sells baby items created by a local seamstress and a delicious homemade sauce created by a chef in downtown Raleigh.

That chef started his own side business of making sauce when his restaurant closed during the pandemic, she said. His sauce took off, and now he sells it full-time. He hasn't had to return to the restaurant business.

Branching out with a new business is one part of a complex answer to the question: What happened to the workforce?

Andrew Berger-Gross, senior economist for the N.C. Department of Commerce, says many deciding to just retire.

Some are even choosing not to work because of a financial cushion, he says, a result of stimulus payments, enhanced unemployment benefits and frozen student loans.

He says it's "plain old demographics."

"An aging population. Not enough babies to fill their place. Not enough new immigrants to fill their place. And younger people going to school rather than entering the labor market," Berger-Gross said.

Plus, Berger-Gross said personal income is sky high – and that extra money is allowing people to wait until they find a better job.

He says it's really scrambled the old processes – including the relationships between workers and employers, what employers need and what workers are willing to accept.

Which may be why the numbers show, like Pernell, many people, now work for themselves.

Since the start of the pandemic, North Carolina saw two record-setting years of new business licenses.

According to records, 178,000 were issued last year – a 40% jump over the previous year's record.

Artist Harold Haun is a woodworker, and he sells his Moravian stars at Pernell's shop. He's long-retired, but gets why so many workers are choosing a new path.

"Things that make you tick, not just put food on the table, but that you get true enjoyment from," he says.

Haun cites the old saying: If you truly enjoy what you do for a living, you'll never work a day in your life.

"I'm not working now, but I'm enjoying it," he says.

Pernell is feeling that same joy.

"I'm happy. I'm happy. I love it. I've never been so willing to work so hard," she says.

Another note from the experts: They say many workers are on the sidelines because they know the jobs will be there. They're just not in a rush.

However, with so much that happened during the pandemic, many are just choosing to make a change in their lives.

WRAL's Monica Laliberte was one of those people who made a change. She's officially started her new role in Capitol Broadcasting's corporate division. So this is her goodbye to 5 On Your Side.

"And to the many viewers who have reached out since the announcement – WOW! I am humbled and honored by the depth of your kindness!" she said.