Jobs Prospects For 2026 Are Looking Grim, Even With A Growing Economy

ByErik Sherman

ByErik Sherman,

Senior Contributor.

It would be calming to think the coming year will be better than 2025, at least economically. If you’re someone who needs a job now, or might in the near future, I’m sorry, but the news isn’t good. The information might be misleading, maybe everything will be fine, but those involved in hiring and firing aren’t expecting that what they’re planning is wrong based on what they can see of the near future.

As Jason Furman, an economics professor and one-time chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, asked in a New York Times opinion piece, “Are we sliding toward recession or entering a new boom?” He contrasts growing GDP, which has included high consumer spending, and a slumping labor market. Furman also noted Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell statement that the Fed, looking at job creation figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the huge accompanying semiannual corrections, thinks there have been tens of thousands of jobs lost each month since at least April 2025.