Covid amplifies recruiting challenges---high unemployment is key.
Stoker '23 – (Carol; retired US Navy officer, military retention researcher; "How to solve the military recruitment crisis"; 6/7/23; https://thespectator.com/topic/fix-military-recruitment-crisis-dei-army/) NT-ML
A solid labor market has clearly hurt recruiting. Historically, the military faces greater recruiting challenges when the unemployment rate is low, as it is now. COVID worsened the problem. Military recruiting is recovering from two years of shutdowns and isolation, in which recruiters lost in-person access to prospects at schools, public events, and military-focused youth organizations such as the Sea Cadets and JROTC programs. Virtual recruiting was less effective, and recruiters have found recovery in many in-person venues slow.