Economists call it "no hire, no fire" with unemployment at 4.2% and layoffs near a 50-year low. Young workers call it stuck.

Fears of mass job loss as a result of AI or other developments simply haven't come true midway through 2026.

American businesses added fewer jobs in July than experts had predicted, with private payrolls up by just 44,000— the weakest increase this year. Conversely, job switchers enjoyed…