Labor shortage, yes. COVID related, yes. Employees using it as an excuse to show up at work; possible, but I'm seeing other trends.
One large trend I'm witnessing first hand is retirements from individuals who could have retired years ago. They're not putting up with mask mandates, social distancing nonsense, testing fallacies, etc. They have no desire to work from home because they really were only working to get out of the house. Many of them are now watching the grand kids.
Another issue I'm seeing first hand is that a lot of part-timers are backing away from their second job. They're also not putting up with mask mandates, social distancing nonsense, testing fallacies, etc. It's not about unemployment benefits because they're still working their primary job.
That a good point.