Category: Shortages

Trump Administration Turns to Migrant Workers to Help Farm Labor Shortage

The New York Times – Business:
As the president’s immigration policies squeeze an already tight supply of farm labor, the Trump administration is making it cheaper to hire foreign farmworkers.
Surging Energy Costs Put German Industry ‘Really in Danger’

The New York Times – Business:
Four years after the Russian invasion of Ukraine sent energy prices soaring, the war in Iran is posing another challenge to efforts to revive European factories.
War in Iran Has India Scrambling to Keep Stoves Lit for Cooking

The New York Times – Business:
India relies on huge quantities of cooking gas that is normally shipped from the Persian Gulf.
Why Oil Prices Surged Even After the Release of Strategic Reserves

The New York Times – Business:
Reserves or no reserves, the outlook remains bleak as long as a major oil and gas trade route remains virtually closed.
G7 Countries Hold Off on Releasing Emergency Oil Supplies

The New York Times – Business:
Finance ministers for the seven industrialized countries met on Monday and said they would consider releasing oil from reserves but were not ready to do so now.
Countries in Asia Try to Contain the Economic Fallout of the Mideast Conflict

The New York Times – Business:
Across Asia, where countries are highly exposed to rising oil and gas costs and tightening supply, governments are acting to mitigate economic harm.
Microsoft Pledged to Save Water. In the A.I. Era, It Expects Water Use to Soar.

Driven by the artificial intelligence frenzy, Microsoft is internally projecting that water use at its data centers will more than double by 2030 from 2020, including in places that face shortages.
An Auto Holy Grail: Motors That Don’t Rely on Chinese Rare Earths

Weary of being captive to geopolitics, car companies are looking for ways to replace powerful rare-earth magnets in electric motors.
California Has a Legal Clause for Housing That Could Put NIMBYs in a Corner

For years, the state has been nudging its cities to build housing to address a severe shortage. Maybe what they needed was a shove.
Netherlands Hands Back Control of Chipmaker Nexperia

Uncertainty over the availability of the Chinese-owned company’s chips, which are used in cars and electronics, had added to concerns of a global shortage.
China Resumes Some Chip Exports, Easing Fears of a Global Crunch

A leading German automotive supplier said it was again allowed to ship semiconductors that Beijing had barred for export.
How Trade Tensions Sent Automakers Scrambling for Chips

Carmakers and their suppliers are piecing together new supply chains after a Chinese-owned company in the Netherlands was caught in the middle of the trade war, revealing European vulnerabilities.