The Effect of Lost Labor

First, we begin with the effect of lost labor. During the 2013 shutdown under the Obama administration, government employees were furloughed for a combined 6.6 million days, which translates to over 18,000 years (Shen, 2018). When the government shuts down, federal employees are furloughed, meaning they are given a time of absence. As you can guess, the 18,000 years worth of furloughed employees leads to unbelievable amounts of inefficiency. Let’s say there is a town with only one gas station and no other competition. If this gas station decides to furlough its employees, everyone in that town is without fuel for their cars for an extended period of time. The same goes with our government. During a shutdown, while these government employees are furloughed, we lose out on precious time, resources, and materials vital to the function of our federal government and its departments. Not only do we see the effects of government employees furloughed, but we also see the effects of those who work in middlemen services. Those who work in the transaction and transportation of goods and services in ports, airports, or any other form of trade are affected by government shutdowns (Shen, 2018). Due to the shutdown of the government, these jobs that deal with trade are all affected, creating ripple effects to other jobs in the public or private sector of the United States. A common theme that is noticeable throughout these three effects is that they all create ripple effects. Yes, they have their own immediate effects, but it also extends outward, affecting much more than the direct subject at hand.