Even as tech layoffs raise anxiety, new projections warn the U.S. is facing the biggest worker shortage in modern history, according to labor-market analysis cited by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce and Lightcast. Recruiting firm Blue Signal says unemployment for certain technical roles can effectively be “negative,” with technology employers unable to fill specialized positions. The shortage is expected to span health care, teachers, engineers, construction, and mental health counselors, while AI-driven narratives may obscure the underlying constraint: a talent deficit. The reporting also points to a mismatch between majors and fields employers need, including fewer students in health care tracks than demand requires.