Hiring

A more stable, less swingy labor market, as reflected in the latest JOLTS data, is usually good news.

Workers prefer the stability of permanent jobs, and permanent workers tend to be more productive.

Holiday shopping was up — but seasonal hiring was cautious and often depended on the size of the business.

Retail hiring for the holiday shopping period is roughly flat, while transportation and warehousing are down from last year.

The AI chatbot makes it easy to send out multitudes of resumes. The tsunami makes it hard for employers to sort through candidates.

Six months of incremental softening of the job market has firmed up to something tangible: the number of people continuing to file for unemployment was the highest it’s been in almost two years.

Many child care providers used the funds to pay their staff. Now that the money is gone, it could affect providers’ ability to recruit and retain workers.

Economists at the Dallas Fed reported some evidence of “labor hoarding” in the latest Beige Book.

The good news: The lowest proportion of small businesses since March 2021 reported having trouble hiring. The bad news: It's still 40%.

People are scanning today's jobs report for signs of slower job creation and greater wage gains — as unemployment claims hover near pre-pandemic lows, and companies announce fewer layoffs.