#labor-market

#labor-market

After years of wartime splurging, Russian shoppers are tightening their grip on their wallets - a shift that hints at growing stress in the country's economy. Growth in consumer spending has weakened across most regions, the Central Bank of Russia said in a report published Wednesday. In October and November, demand softened even as unemployment remained near historic lows and inflation expectations ticked higher.

The Labor Department reported Tuesday that employers posted 7.67 million vacancies in October, close to September's 7.66 million. The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), which was delayed by the extended government shutdown, also showed that the layoffs rose and number of people quitting their jobs - a sign of confidence in the labor market - fell in October.

New economic analysis by Goldman Sachs reveals a bifurcated picture of artificial intelligence's (AI) impact on the workforce, finding that while the technology's role in current layoffs remains modest and unproven across the broader economy, companies focusing on AI in their workforce discussions have sharply curtailed their job openings this year. The findings, drawn from an analysis of Q3 corporate earnings commentary and results by senior economist Ronnie Walker, were drawn from management commentary and results across nearly all the S&P 500.

When describing the health of the US economy, there is a temptation among economists, market analysts, and politicians to argue that the only true picture of our current situation is a sweeping portrait - only by looking at the broadest of aggregate statistics can you determine the state of play, they argue. But the wide view can ignore important developments unfolding under the surface. Sometimes, even the healthiest-looking person might have high cholesterol.

These relatively steady rate movements seem to be in line with market expectations following the Federal Reserve's 25-bps cut to benchmark rates late last month. The cut was widely anticipated and baked into the rates offered by most mortgage lenders well in advance. We've seen this rhythm before: rates fall in anticipation of a Fed cut, rise slightly following the announcement due to cautious messaging, and then stabilize or trend down again as economic data unfolds, said Samir Dedhia, CEO of One Real Mortgage.

Zoom out: The economy, in a lot of ways, is just fine. Growth is robust, inflation is a fraction of what it was not that long ago, and the labor market is, for now, in a (tenuous) equilibrium. Yes, but: The vibes are awful and getting worse. The thing that doomed Democrats in 2024 hasn't gotten particularly better since. Corporate layoffs are at a 22-year high.

Economists, journalists, and investors won't be waiting by their laptops this morning for a new jobs report. It's the second month without this data release. The agency isn't releasing most reports or collecting data during the government shutdown, which is the longest one in US history. However, job seekers, economists, and anyone else missing the BLS reports can turn to recent publications from ADP, Indeed, Bank of America, and others to get a sense of how the job market and broader economy are doing.

in 2025, the tech industry had the highest recorded number of layoffs for the month of October: 33,281 compared with 5,639 in September. Tech companies have announced 141,159 job cuts this year compared with 120,470 during the same period in 2024. Total year-to-date job cuts in the U.S. are at their highest level since the pandemic struck in 2020, and t he firm says that layoffs for the month of October haven't been this high since 2003

The number of U.S. homes that typically change hands as people relocate for work, retire or trade-up for more living space hasn't been this low in nearly 30 years. About 28 out of every 1,000 homes changed hands between January and September, the lowest U.S. home turnover rate going back to at least the 1990s, according to an analysis by Redfin.