Labour shortages and supply chain issues are also giving Joe Biden a headache

It is not just Britain that needs to solve such problems, writes Chris Stevenson

The White House has been trying to deal with issues similar to those the UK is facing (AP)

There has plenty of talk in recent weeks about the supply chain issues and labour shortages (in certain sectors) facing Britain, but the US has not been immune to such problems.

US businesses added only 194,000 jobs in September – the lowest of any month in 2021 – and following only 366,000 jobs being added in August (revised up from an initial reported figure of 235,000). Both figures were well below expectations. A number of analysts pointed towards concerns over the Delta Covid variant being a factor – although the number of cases has been declining through the back end of September, so there is hope for the October reports.

A survey released last month by the National Restaurant Association found 78 per cent of restaurant operators said they have experienced a decline in customer demand in the last few weeks prior to the survey and that 71 per cent of restaurants said they were understaffed. Ninety-five per cent of restaurants that answered the survey said they had experienced supply issues of some kind in the last three months.