Marketplace · Monday, September 28, 2026
Economists are closely watching the upcoming September jobs report for signs of whether last month's strong job growth was an anomaly or indicative of a healthier labor market. While the unemployment rate remains low and layoffs are down, concerns persist about weak wage growth and a slowdown in hiring rates, reminiscent of the post-Great Recession period.
“The big question is, was that a blip or was that the data trying to tell us that things weren't so bad?”
“The good news is that the unemployment rate is low. It's hovering just above 4% and has been for a while. Job growth is solid, not great, but it's solid. Layoffs are low. So if you have a job, you are no more likely than usual to get laid off. So that is very good news.”
“The not-so-good news, she holds, says, is that wage growth is weak and there's not much hiring going on.”
“We are talking now about hiring rates that are roughly where they were in like 2010, 2011, in that just unbelievably weak labor market right after the great recession.”