Our US focus page zooms in on the US labour market. The left-hand chart shows that the proportion of US firms reporting jobs that are hard to fill has hit record levels. Typically when firms find it difficult to hire, wages have to rise to entice workers, as shown in the other line on the chart. The right-hand chart plots job openings against the jobs that have been lost since February 2020 across different sectors. Supply and demand mismatches in the labour market are adding to inflationary pressures in the economy.