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Play Job Crunch! The game that explains Utah’s labor shortage.

In order to make a complicated issue a little easier to understand - and even a little fun - The Tribune created a game.

(Photos by Salt Lake Tribune journalists. Illustration by Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) A collection of help wanted and now hiring signs across Salt Lake County.

(Photos by Salt Lake Tribune journalists. Illustration by Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) A collection of help wanted and now hiring signs across Salt Lake County.

This story is part of The Salt Lake Tribune’s ongoing commitment to identify solutions to Utah’s biggest challenges through the work of the Innovation Lab.

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Earlier this week I wrote about Utah’s labor shortage and the question of who is to blame - Utah’s government or businesses?

I did my best to make a complex topic both easy to understand and engaging. But with some things a written story can only do so much. That’s why I created a game.

In the game you play the owner of the (fictional) Bocephus’ Burgers chain of Utah-based fast food restaurants. You have to make choices as you try to navigate the problems associated with running a business at the front-line of the labor shortage. There are many ways for the game to end badly, but I’ll let you figure that out on your own.

Play Job Crunch!



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