The backlog of billions of dollars of toys, clothing, electronics, vehicles, and furniture comes as the demand for consumer goods hit its highest point in history as consumers stay home instead of spending money on travel and entertainment.
Supply chains have lagged far behind consumer demand due to a lack of manpower at American ports and the restrictions that came with the COVID-19 outbreak early last year. These constraints, which include social distancing and mandatory quarantines, have severely limited the number and ability of port workers to do their jobs.
Comment: Initially the media blamed the shortages and backlogs on a sudden 'lack of workers' - '100,000 lorry drivers', '15,000 butchers' - however, as we can see above, there are a number of factors converging, and government lockdowns are almost solely to blame. Lockdowns have meant that for about 18 months ports (like hospitals) are still working at restricted capacity. Meanwhile the lifting of some restrictions has resulted in increased demand, plus there's a backlog to clear out, which is also causing further disruption along the line, and, finally, because of all that, more workers than usual are needed.
However, there does appear to be some truth to the claim that lockdowns have also had an impact on the availability of employees, because furlough, layoffs, home working, unemployment benefits, and so on, has resulted in a significant reduction in the number workers available: Where Did All The People Go?
Comment: See also: