In a poll conducted by the Secured Finance Network (SFNet), since new CA disclosure rules were implemented in December 2022, 40% of respondents were found to be “no longer lending” to prospective borrowers who fall within the regulations’ threshold of less than $500,000. SFNet is an 80-year-old nonprofit with members representing the $4T U.S. secured finance industry.  The new law, requiring sweeping financial disclosures, introduced by CA State Senator Steven M. Glazer in 2018, faced four years of strong opposition before being rolled out in December of 2022.

As companies and lenders evaluate performance risk and expectations for 2022, the trends previously considered to be emerging need to be considered a permanent part of the 2022 business environment. At this point, it is unrealistic to expect ready access to employees with necessary skills and to expect salary levels to reduce to earlier levels. Businesses will need to develop tools to plan for and manage through labor shortages in staffing and skills, and increased labor costs. In this article we will first review the labor indicators, and then discuss approaches business management can take to survive and thrive in this environment.