Business Coronavirus has cost US labor force half a million workers By Deanna B. Narveson - September 12, 2022 FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailPrint Illness caused by COVID-19 shrank the U.S. labor force by around 500,000 people, a hit that is likely to continue if the virus continues to sicken workers at current rates, according to a study releas… Already an INSIDER? Sign in.