Read later Summary: The labor market is out-of-balance and getting more so. CHROs won’t win this new War for Talent with old methods and tools. An under-appreciated asset, former employees, may be part of the answer. The pre-pandemic War for Talent was, with hindsight, really a skirmish. Now, it’s war! The economy is springing back and there is plenty of pent-up demand that wants to be satisfied. Projects were on hold, purchases were deferred, etc. But springs don’t act with smooth linear change. The change they trigger can be sudden, almost violent. Nearly two-thirds of US-based employees we surveyed said that COVID-19 has caused them to reflect on their purpose in life. And nearly half said that they are reconsidering the kind of work they do because of the pandemic. Millennials were three times more likely than others to say that they were re-evaluating work.