Placers Staffing President Chris Burkhard joined WDEL’s Peter MacArthur to discuss today’s complex job market, where traditional metrics don’t tell the full story.
The Numbers vs. Reality Disconnect
While unemployment sits at a historically low 4.3%, seven out of ten Americans rate the job picture as poor. We’re currently losing more jobs than we’re creating, and the number of people working part-time who want full-time work is at its highest level since pre-pandemic.
Current Market Dynamics
Job openings have increased slightly to 7.2 million, creating a one-to-one ratio of jobs to job seekers. Despite high-profile layoffs at companies like Amazon and UPS, the overall layoff rate remains historically low. The challenge is that hiring has slowed significantly across most sectors.
Chris highlighted insights from real-time private data sources like ADP and Indeed: Healthcare and education continue leading hiring locally and nationally, while professional services, hospitality, and construction are seeing losses.
Remote Work & Holiday Hiring
The most common question from job seekers concerns remote work opportunities. Full-time remote positions are increasingly rare, with hybrid arrangements (2-3 days in office) becoming the standard. There’s strong momentum toward five-day office returns as the balance of power shifts back to employers.
For holiday job seekers, Chris warns of a “hiring mismatch” – more interest in seasonal work than available positions. Most retailers are pursuing “do more with less” strategies. His advice: start early and be prepared for hyper-competitive conditions.
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