According to a new survey of economic and workforce professionals, the most pressing needs facing rural Americans during the pandemic are financial difficulties, a lack of broadband internet access, and inadequate health care options.

In its Prosperity through Equity Survey, released on Monday, Thomas P. Miller and Associates, an Indianapolis-based workforce and economic development consulting firm, discovered that 77% of respondents identified a lack of affordable housing as the most pressing need in the rural communities where they work.

The survey identified the following as the most important needs: access to living-wage jobs 74%, broadband internet 73%, and quality health care 63%.

“We found that many rural communities don’t have a plan in place to address these needs, despite the billions of dollars that the federal government gives them,” said Andrea Adkins-Hutchins, the company’s chief operating officer. “Maybe the solution is not to give them more money, but to come up with alternative support solutions.”

More than 40% of the professionals polled said their community has "no plan in place" to address the needs.

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According to the survey, rural Americans' socioeconomic recovery from COVID-19 has lagged behind that of urban communities, with government relief benefits not reaching smaller communities.

This report comes as Americans face record inflation in housing and medical prices, as well as unprecedented job market turnover.

See this: The US Employment Crisis

US unemployment lowest in decades 

Claims for unemployment benefits have dropped to their lowest levels in decades in the US, according to official numbers, as reported by CNBC. However, it seems these numbers are being skewed by labor distortions brought about by the pandemic era.

The data, however, accounts for a seasonal adjustment that takes into account the various times of the year, with layoffs, for example, rising in some sectors in the colder months. Without this adjustment, unemployment claims actually rose by 64,000 last week, meaning by 29%, to a total of 281,000. This is the true, unadjusted number of those that have applied for unemployment benefits.

That said, the Department of Labor expected a jump in post-Thanksgiving applications for unemployment, anticipating 42,000 more claims. Though these adjustments are standard practice, COVID-19 is complicating the dynamic, with the rise in cases sidelining workers.

“It’s not obvious why the seasonal adjustment has struggled in the last few weeks, but weekly [seasonal adjustment] is difficult even in normal times,” said Daniel Zhao, a senior economist at career site Glassdoor.

This is why the claims of  "historically low levels" of unemployment should not be taken at face value. Yes, the US labor market seems to be improving, but not to the extent being portrayed in statements.