Afford Anything · Friday, August 7, 2026
The recent job data indicates that hiring is primarily concentrated in healthcare, private education, and social assistance sectors. While construction and transportation/warehousing saw some job gains, manufacturing and wholesale trade experienced stagnation. Notably, leisure and hospitality, retail, and financial services saw declines, with leisure and hospitality shedding jobs despite the recent World Cup.
“But the other thing that I want to note from the data is that the hiring that is happening is really concentrated in just a couple of sectors. Healthcare, private education, and social assistance.”
“But we're seeing mostly stagnation in manufacturing and wholesale trade.”
“And we're seeing declines in leisure and hospitality, in retail, and financial services.”
“So we shed jobs in the leisure and hospitality sector, even while hosting the World Cup.”