Ten weeks after Katrina, government officials and business leaders worry that a scarcity of able-bodied workers is hampering the area's recovery. In their desperation, they are using a variety of tactics to attract workers. Some tactics include doubling wages and offering thousands of dollars in signing bonuses, even for the most basic of jobs. The city's economic recovery depends on a readily-available workforce, something New Orleans does not have after Hurricane Katrina.
See "Wooing Workers for New Orleans", Gary Rivlin, The New York Times, November 10, 2005