Shelves are looking scarce in many U.S. stores with shortages of every product you can think of. Prices are going up and delays are increasing, so what are some of the reasons for America’s supply chain shortcomings?

Consumer demand increasing: When the pandemic first began, everyone knew there would be delays and shortages, among a countless number of other issues, but no one truly realized the impact the pandemic would have overall. Consumer demand was going down, up until the end of the summer of 2020, then an uptick in consumer spending began, and continued to grow and grow since. Consumer demand is a good thing; however, it’s been difficult for supply chains to keep up.

Lack of workers: The truck transportation industry has felt an immediate impact as the industry has lost 6 percent of its pre-pandemic labor force, over one and a half million workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Another issue has been the lack of vaccinations in the global supply chain as many factories have had to suspend operations due to outbreaks and government lockdowns.

Shipping container shortage and clogged ports: Empty containers continuing to pile up in all the wrong places. Some of the reasons for this are lack of workers, complicated customs procedures, amongst a variety of additional problems, according to Maritime Executive. Now, over 60 container ships are anchored in the ocean along the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, not being able to unload their items. However, it’s not just those ports that are having this issue, ports are getting clogged all over globally.

The question on everyone’s mind is when will these issues subside? Unfortunately, it is expected for these issues to continue well in 2022.