The Labor Market Podcast with Fexingo: Jobs Reports, Unemployment, and Wage Growth

Lucas and Luna dig into the latest data on long-term unemployment. Despite a strong headline jobs number—nonfarm payrolls at 158.7 million in April—the share of workers unemployed for 27 weeks or more is climbing. They discuss what's driving this trend, the hidden costs for workers and the economy, and why it matters even as job openings hit 7.6 million. The hosts also explore how the Iran conflic...

In this episode of The Labor Market Podcast, Lucas and Luna dig into the growing disconnect between surging job openings and rising unemployment claims. As of late May 2026, initial jobless claims hit 225,000, up sharply from 212,000 the prior week, even as JOLTS data showed openings climbed to 7.6 million in April. The hosts explore what this signal means—long-term unemployment is also on the ris...

In this episode of The Labor Market Podcast with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna break down the latest JOLTS data showing job openings surged to 7.6 million in April 2026, the highest in nearly two years. But with wage growth barely budging, they explore the structural disconnect between employer demand and worker pay. They dig into which industries are driving the openings, why companies are offering sig...

In this episode of The Labor Market Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into the surprising April 2026 JOLTS report showing 7.6 million job openings—the highest in nearly two years. They explore why this surge coexists with flat unemployment and modest wage growth, focusing on the energy-cost squeeze from the Iran conflict and proposed new tariffs. Using ADP's May payroll number of 122,000 and the latest...

In this episode of The Labor Market Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the surprising return of signing bonuses in 2026. With job openings surging to 7.6 million in April — the highest in nearly two years — employers in sectors like trucking, healthcare, and hospitality are dangling cash bonuses, extra vacation days, and retention bonuses to attract and keep workers. Lucas breaks down the data: avera...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna unpack the surprising April JOLTS report showing job openings surged to 7.6 million, the highest in nearly two years. They explore why openings are rising even as the Fed keeps rates elevated, and what this means for workers' bargaining power. The hosts also discuss the 'stay interview' trend — why more companies are using retention conversations to keep talent from...

With core inflation stuck at 3.3% and energy costs up $450 per household due to the Iran war, Lucas and Luna examine why employers are raising wages for some workers but not others. They dig into the latest employment cost index data, which shows wage growth slowing for high-earning remote workers while hourly workers see gains. The hosts discuss how the Fed's single-minded focus on inflation is l...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a quiet but powerful shift in the labor market: how surging energy costs tied to the Iran war are reshaping wage negotiations. With average hourly earnings up just 4.5% year-over-year but households spending an extra $450 monthly on gas and energy, workers are demanding higher pay not for career advancement but just to keep up. The hosts break down new data...

A growing number of workers are citing energy costs in salary talks. Lucas and Luna explore how the ongoing Iran war has added roughly $450 to the average household's monthly gas and energy bill, and how that number is showing up in bargaining sessions, quitting decisions, and even job acceptance rates. They discuss a recent survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta showing that 38% of job s...

The Iran war is hitting household budgets in a specific way: $450 more per year on gas and energy. In this episode, Lucas and Luna break down how that extra cost flows through the economy—from higher commuting expenses to ripple effects on retail prices and wage growth. They look at the latest data showing average hourly earnings up just 5 cents to $37.40, while energy inflation remains stubborn....

Lucas and Luna dissect how the Iran war's energy price shock is quietly dragging down real wage gains for American workers. With average hourly earnings up just 0.5% in April but gas prices surging, they trace the 'energy tax' eating into every paycheck — and why the Fed's preferred PCE measure shows inflation stuck at 3.3%. They break down which industries are absorbing the hit and why the labor...

The pandemic-era assumption that remote work commanded a pay premium is reversing. In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine fresh data showing that on-site and hybrid workers are now getting bigger raises than fully remote employees. They dig into the April 2026 jobless claims tick-up and wage growth figures to unpack why proximity to the office is suddenly worth more. Drawing on employer surveys a...

The quits rate has fallen to its lowest level since the early pandemic, even as job openings remain plentiful and wage growth is solid. Lucas and Luna examine the data behind the 'stay-put' labor market of mid-2026 — including the April JOLTS report showing just 2.2 million quits, the role of remote work lock-in, and why workers who stay are actually getting raises faster than job-hoppers in some...

Episode 19 of The Labor Market Podcast digs into the latest JOLTS data — specifically the falling quits rate. With job openings down to 6.866 million but layoffs still low, Lucas and Luna explore why fewer workers are voluntarily leaving their jobs, even in a market where wages are still rising. They discuss the 'lock-in effect,' the impact of inflation uncertainty on worker mobility, and what the...

In this episode of The Labor Market Podcast, Lucas and Luna dig into the latest initial jobless claims data from May 23, 2026, which ticked up to 215,000 — the highest level in months. They explore why claims are rising even as the unemployment rate stays flat at 4.3%, and what regional variations reveal about where the labor market is softening. Using data from state-level claims reports, they fo...

Lucas and Luna examine a quiet structural shift in the American labor market: rising involuntary part-time employment even as overall payrolls expand. With the unemployment rate flat at 4.3 percent and job openings declining, more workers are accepting fewer hours than they want. The hosts explore what Bureau of Labor Statistics data on 'part-time for economic reasons' reveals about slack in the e...

Lucas and Luna dig into new data showing that workers who switched jobs in early 2026 saw wage gains nearly double those who stayed put. With the unemployment rate flat at 4.3 percent and average hourly earnings ticking up to $37.40, the premium for changing jobs has widened to its largest gap since 2022. They explore which industries are fueling the trend, why employers are willing to pay up for...

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the March JOLTS report on May 20, showing job openings fell to 6.87 million — the lowest since February 2021. But here's the twist: layoffs are not spiking, and hiring held firm at 5.7 million. Lucas and Luna break down what's really happening inside this data. Is the labor market merely normalizing, or is something deeper going on? They look at the quits ra...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a surprising shift in the labor market: the rise of workers who are not in the labor force and not looking for work, yet are not retired. Using recent data including the April 2026 unemployment rate of 4.3 percent and the drop in job openings to 6.9 million, they discuss how this 'stay-at-home' trend is reshaping the economy. They examine who these workers a...

Lucas and Luna explore how the rise of gig work is clashing with a decades-old unemployment insurance system. With April's unemployment rate holding at 4.3 percent but the labor force composition shifting, more workers fall through the cracks of a system designed for full-time W-2 employees. The hosts break down the numbers: initial jobless claims dipped to 209,000 in mid-May, but that count misse...

Lucas and Luna dig into the latest employment data as of May 26, 2026 — specifically the average hourly earnings figure of $37.40 — to uncover which sectors are seeing real wage gains after years of falling behind inflation. They contrast construction and hospitality, where wages are up 6-8% year-over-year, with white-collar fields like tech and finance where real wages are still shrinking. The ho...

With unemployment stuck at 4.3 percent and job openings down to 6.9 million, a quiet shift is reshaping the labor market: employers are increasingly hiring and retaining older workers. In this episode, Lucas and Luna dig into the data behind the trend. The prime-age employment-to-population ratio for workers 55 and older has climbed above 39 percent for the first time since the early 1970s, while...

In the tenth episode of The Labor Market Podcast, Lucas and Luna unpack one of the most persistent puzzles in modern economics: why wages have decoupled from productivity since the 1970s. Using the latest data from April 2026—including average hourly earnings of $37.40 and an employment cost index at 177.5—they examine the structural factors that explain the gap, from declining union density to th...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dig into a puzzle that's been quietly bothering economists: productivity is up more than 10 percent over the past five years, but real wage growth has barely budged. They look at the latest average hourly earnings data — up just 4.5 percent year-over-year against 3.2 percent CPI — and ask why workers aren't seeing more of the pie. The conversation centers on a new p...

Lucas and Luna dig into a striking Bureau of Labor Statistics finding: 54 percent of US workers say they would not relocate for a new job, even for a raise. They unpack what that means for wage growth, employer hiring strategies, and the geography of opportunity — using fresh data on remote work stickiness, housing costs, and the record-low quits rate. Featuring a conversation about how the pandem...