This is the actual answer. We are witnessing the ACTUAL free market in action. Companies are dying to find workers and no one wants to go back to work. You could, of course, incentivize them by raising wages or offering really nice fringe benefits (fully remote) but no one seems willing to.
So, the free market will take its course and as always daddy government will come in to save the poor corporations. The people propping up the economy need more cash. It sounds likes $40,000 a year is the base wage people would be willing to back for (approximately the wage they earned doing nothing).
I can't understand why so many libertarians don't understand this. This is an ideal truly libertarian situation. We should be encouraging this, and allowing the strong the survive. My only gripe is the strong include people who can just weather the storm (walmart, etc) and the bread and butter of America will die off.
Raise wages, get more workers. Keep wages the same, get people who will either not work for you or actively undermine you. The math is simple. It's very clear the profiteers are upset they may actually have to pay people instead of leaning on welfare to make up the difference.
This is going on tech related to remote work. Except I think tech company CEOs are smarter. The vast majority are offering permanent remote positions. After people started demanding everyone shows up to the office the attrition rate skyrocketed. No one wants to play the stupid game. They made an entire movie about it (office space). If you want workers you bend your knee to them, and not the other way around. This is how the free market works. When you need labor you pay for it at the prevailing wage/benefit package.
How fun!