Costco and Chipotle are 2 companies raising wages during the pandemic. Here are 7 major firms that hiked pay over the past year.

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• Some employers say they're struggling to find workers, and the April jobs report was much softer than expected.
• Many are offering one-time perks for new hires, but a few have rolled out wage increases.
• Here are seven major companies that have started paying workers more in the past year.

Companies are gearing up for a spending rebound as the economy emerges from its year-long lockdown, and that's going to require a whole lot of hiring.

But the country added just 266,000 jobs in April, kicking a debate about a "labor shortage" up a notch and suggesting that many unemployed Americans aren't in a rush to return to work under current conditions.

Various businesses have reported difficulties finding workers in recent weeks. Some blame generous unemployment benefits for the shortage, while others suggest jobless Americans are simply looking for safer working conditions before returning to the labor market.

A spike in inflation might also be contributing to the hiring shortfall. Economists expect prices to go up sharply as the country rebounds, which means some companies will start charging more for goods and services. That's already happened in many cases, as the reopening economy is rife with bottlenecks everywhere from chicken to lumber.

In turn, workers are demanding higher wages to offset the rising cost of living. A handful of businesses have seen the writing on the wall and started paying workers more throughout the pandemic.

Here are seven companies who are paying their employees more since this time last year.