The Job Market Podcast with Fexingo: Hiring Trends, Unemployment, and Labor Market Updates

In this episode of The Job Market Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into a rarely discussed labor market signal: the age profile of hiring. With unemployment flat at 4.3% and job openings rising to 7.6 million in April 2026, the hosts examine how companies are increasingly targeting older workers—those aged 55 and over—to fill roles, reversing a decade-long trend of favoring younger hires. They discuss...

On Episode 31 of The Job Market Podcast, Lucas and Luna dig into a subtle but powerful force shaping every jobs report: calendar effects. Using June 2026's JOLTS data showing 7.6 million openings and a Dow surge of 800 points on a rotation trade, they explain how the timing of holidays, the number of working days in a month, and seasonal adjustment quirks can distort hiring trends. Lucas walks thr...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a little-known labor market signal: the rate at which workers switch industries. With job openings up to 7.6 million in April 2026 and nonfarm payrolls hitting 158.7 million, the hosts discuss why industry switching matters more than ever for understanding wage dynamics and career mobility. They examine recent JOLTS data showing a rise in openings, but note...

This episode digs into a labor market metric that often gets overlooked: the number of workers unemployed for 27 weeks or longer. As of April 2026, that figure stands at 1.3 million, down from a pandemic peak but still above pre-2020 levels. Lucas and Luna discuss what this 'long-term unemployed' data point tells us about the health of the job market, why it matters for wage growth, and how it aff...

Lucas and Luna dig into a surprising new angle in the job market: the growing gap between what employers initially offer and what they're willing to pay for the right candidate. Drawing on recent JOLTS data showing job openings jumping to 7.6 million in April 2026, and median weekly earnings now at $1,204, they explore how this 'negotiation premium' is reshaping hiring dynamics. Lucas explains how...

In this episode of The Job Market Podcast, Lucas and Luna dig into a surprising data point from the latest JOLTS report: job openings surged to 7.6 million in April 2026, the highest in nearly two years, yet hiring has barely budged. They explore what this widening gap between openings and hires means for job seekers and employers—from phantom job listings to the shift toward quality over speed in...

Lucas and Luna spot a crucial labor market indicator that most people overlook: average hourly earnings. They unpack what the latest data (up to $37.40 in April 2026) really says about wage growth, productivity, and whether workers are actually getting ahead. The conversation digs into why nominal gains can mask real purchasing power, how the employment cost index tells a deeper story, and what th...

Episode 25 of The Job Market Podcast digs into an under-the-radar labor market signal: employer brand. Lucas and Luna explore how a company's reputation with current and former employees is increasingly affecting hiring velocity and offer acceptance rates. They discuss the rise of anonymous workplace reviews, why employers are investing in candidate experience, and how unemployment remains flat at...

This episode of The Job Market Podcast with Fexingo explores a neglected signal in the labor market: the divergence between average hourly earnings and median weekly earnings. Lucas and Luna unpack why the median worker's paycheck is growing slower than the average, and what that tells us about remote work, white-collar leverage, and the health of the job market in mid-2026. They anchor the conver...

Episode 23 of The Job Market Podcast examines a subtle but powerful shift: wage compression between new hires and existing employees. In 2026, with unemployment at 4.3% and average hourly earnings at $37.40, Lucas and Luna discuss how companies are raising starting pay faster than ongoing raises, creating a narrowing gap that affects career switchers, tenure, and negotiation leverage. They unpack...

Lucas and Luna dive into a little-known Bureau of Labor Statistics data point: job-to-job flows. While everyone watches job openings and unemployment, the rate at which workers move directly from one job to another is telling a fascinating story in May 2026. They break down why this metric matters, what the latest numbers show, and how it reveals worker confidence and wage negotiation power better...

This episode of The Job Market Podcast with Fexingo dives into the Employment Cost Index as a leading indicator for wage inflation and hiring decisions. Lucas and Luna explore why the ECI matters more than average hourly earnings, how it affects Federal Reserve policy, and what the Q1 2026 data (wages up to 177.5 from 176.23) signals for workers and employers. They discuss the index's stability co...

Lucas and Luna unpack one specific weekly data point that most job market commentary ignores: the four-week moving average of initial jobless claims. In a market where headline payrolls look solid and the unemployment rate is flat at 4.3 percent, the claims trend has quietly ticked up from 210,000 to 215,000 in the latest week. The hosts walk through why a single-week blip is noise, but a sustaine...

In this episode of The Job Market Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore a quietly growing segment of the labor market that most analysts overlook: part-time employment. As of April 2026, the number of Americans working part-time for economic reasons has edged up to 4.6 million, even as the overall unemployment rate stays flat at 4.3 percent. But is this a sign of weakness or a structural shift in how pe...

Lucas and Luna dig into the latest initial jobless claims data — 215,000 for the week ending May 23, up from 210,000 the prior week. They explore why this small uptick matters more than the headline unemployment rate, which sits flat at 4.3 percent. The conversation centers on the 'claims drift' pattern: when filings rise slowly over several weeks, it often precedes a broader cooling in hiring tha...

Lucas and Luna dive into a quiet but powerful labor market shift: temporary help services employment is falling even as overall hiring stays steady. They explore what the 2.5% drop in temp staffing since early 2025 means for full-time job seekers and employers. With unemployment flat at 4.3% and job openings down, the decline in temp hiring may hint at a structural move toward direct permanent hir...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a little-noticed but powerful hiring signal: the gap between job openings and actual hires in the JOLTS data. While the headlines focus on falling openings, the real story is that hiring is still robust — and that disconnect reveals a shift in how companies are filling roles. Lucas walks through the numbers: job openings dropped to 6.9 million in March, yet...

Episode 15 of The Job Market Podcast digs into an odd disconnect in the April 2026 jobs report: nonfarm payrolls rose by 115,000 but the unemployment rate stayed stuck at 4.3 percent. Lucas and Luna break down the math behind the divergence—rising labor force participation absorbing new jobs, a quits rate that signals worker confidence, and what it means for your next career move. They discuss how...

JOLTS data for March 2026 shows job openings fell to 6.87 million, yet total payrolls rose by 115,000 in April. Lucas and Luna break down why falling vacancies don't mean a slowing labor market. They explore the 'churn economy' where employers are hiring aggressively even as they post fewer roles, and what that means for job seekers in May 2026. With the unemployment rate flat at 4.3%, this episod...

Lucas and Luna dive into the 'quits rate' — an overlooked labor market metric that tells us more about worker confidence than the unemployment rate. With JOLTS data showing job openings at 6.9 million and a quits rate that's held steady even as openings dipped, they explore why people are still leaving jobs voluntarily in May 2026. They break down what this means for wage negotiation leverage and...

Lucas and Luna dig into a striking new pattern in the April 2026 jobs report: nonfarm payrolls hit 158.7 million, up 115,000 from March, but the gains are highly uneven across states. Texas and Florida added jobs while California and New York lagged. The hosts explore how remote work, tax policy, and cost of living are driving a geographic divergence that has big implications for job seekers, empl...

Lucas and Luna dig into the latest wage data to answer a perennial career question: does switching jobs still pay more than staying put? With average hourly earnings at $37.40 and the unemployment rate holding at 4.3 percent, they examine new research on the 'job-switching premium' — and why it may be shrinking. Lucas brings data from the Atlanta Fed's wage tracker showing that job switchers saw r...

Older workers are quitting their jobs at rates not seen since the Great Resignation, but for different reasons. Lucas and Luna dig into the data—including the latest JOLTS numbers and hiring patterns—to explore why experienced employees over 55 are voluntarily leaving the workforce or switching careers. They look at the role of healthcare costs, remote work expectations, and age discrimination in...

In this episode of The Job Market Podcast, hosts Lucas and Luna unpack why the weekly jobless claims number — often dismissed as a stale data point — is actually one of the best leading indicators for hiring decisions. With initial claims falling to 209,000 in mid-May 2026, they explore what that drop means for employers' confidence and workers' leverage. Lucas walks through the mechanics: claims...

In this episode of The Job Market Podcast, Lucas and Luna look at which sectors are seeing the biggest wage gains in 2026 — and which are falling behind. They dig into the latest average hourly earnings data (up to $37.40) and the Employment Cost Index, then focus on a surprising standout: non-supervisory retail workers, who have seen their wages jump nearly 9% year-over-year. The hosts explore wh...