Cornering The Job Market
The job market is changing faster than most people realize. Headlines are noisy, data is often misunderstood, and bad advice spreads quickly. Cornering the Job Market cuts through the confusion with clear, data-backed insights on what is actually happening in hiring, work, careers, and the labor market now, and in the future.
Hosted by Pete Newsome, founder of one of America's top staffing and recruiting firms, this podcast breaks down the labor market from both sides of the table. Job seekers learn how employers are really making decisions. Hiring leaders and executives gain perspective on talent supply, candidate behavior, and where the market is heading next.
Each episode translates complex labor data into plain English and connects the dots between hiring trends, economic signals, AI adoption, wages, layoffs, and workforce strategy. The focus is not hype or fear; with context, clarity, and practical takeaways you can use immediately.
What you will hear on the show
- Weekly breakdowns of the U.S. job market using trusted data sources
- What hiring numbers actually mean for real people and real companies
- How AI is reshaping jobs, hiring, and career paths
- Why some roles stay in demand even during slowdowns
- What employers are prioritizing and what candidates often miss
- Honest conversations about layoffs, wage pressure, job hopping, and stability
- Tactical advice for job seekers at every career stage
- Strategic insight for HR leaders, hiring managers, and executives
Who this podcast is for
- Professionals navigating a competitive or uncertain job market
- Early and mid-career workers trying to future-proof their careers
- HR leaders and talent acquisition teams
- Hiring managers and executives making workforce decisions
- Anyone who wants clear, credible insight into where work is headed
Why Cornering the Job Market is different
This show is built on real hiring experience, not theory. The insights come from thousands of real job searches, real placements, and real conversations with employers and candidates across industries like IT, finance, healthcare, marketing, HR, and engineering.
The goal is simple. Help you understand the job market well enough to make better decisions, whether you are hiring, job searching, or planning your next move.
New episodes
New episodes drop regularly with timely commentary on breaking labor market news, hiring trends, and workplace shifts. Subscribe so you do not miss an update, especially when the market changes quickly.
Cornering The Job Market
Breaking Job News: A Reality Check on the Latest Government Jobs Report
A soft landing doesn’t look like a victory lap; it looks like a tug-of-war. December added 50,000 jobs versus a 70,000 forecast, unemployment ticked down to 4.4, yet long-term joblessness and involuntary part-time work continue to weigh on households and hiring plans. Host Pete Newsome breaks down why the trend matters more than the miss, and how slower growth in 2025 stacks up against a much stronger 2024.
Beneath the headline rate, friction is building: more workers stuck unemployed for 27 weeks or longer, and a persistent gap in part-time work for economic reasons points to tighter screening and cautious employers. One bright spot stands out: wages rose 3.8% year over year while inflation sits near 2.7, creating real gains that smart teams can turn into retention by simplifying job requirements, hiring for potential, and accelerating onboarding and mobility.
On the ground, staffing pipelines are warming. We’re seeing more requisitions and faster movement, often an early signal before payroll data turns. If that momentum holds, the first half of 2026 could bring a modest pickup, especially for employers focused on measurable ROI and reskilling. For job seekers, the play is scarce skills and documented impact. For employers, it’s reducing friction and building pathways from part-time to full-time.
So what’s your read on the next quarter, cautious or confident?
Article:
1. BLS: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
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👋 FOLLOW PETE NEWSOME ONLINE:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petenewsome/
Blog Articles: https://www.4cornerresources.com/blog/
Welcome to cornering the job market for Friday, January 9th. Today's biggest, well, only real headline that matters is the latest jobs data. The December 2025 jobs report was released this morning, and it's not great, to say the least. 50,000 jobs were added last month, which is positive, but it fell short of the 70,000 that economists were projecting. Now, there's always skepticism around government data for obvious reasons, but I will say the 50,000 is in line with what private companies have reported over the past few days. ADP's report showed 41,000 jobs were added, and Revelio Labs reported a gain of 71,000. So when you look at these numbers, in reality, given the enormity of the U.S. labor market at around 170 million, the differences are relatively insignificant. So that's my way of saying I believe these numbers are accurate for the most part. We'll see if they're revised later. Unemployment was down slightly in December from 4.5 to 4.4. But even though that's heading in the right direction, the number of people unemployed 27 weeks or longer actually increased. Long-term unemployment rose by 38,000 in December. Involuntary part-time work fell, but it remains elevated.
Pete Newsome:There were 146,000 fewer people working part-time for economic reasons in December than the month before, but it's still far above December 24 levels where there were only 4.4 million total versus 5.3 million now. So we have a long way to go to close that gap. Now let's consider the yearly numbers. Total job growth last year was 584,000. And that may sound good to you, but it's not at all when you compare it to the 2 million jobs that were added in 2024. On a monthly basis, that's 49,000 versus 168,000. That is a massive difference. And unfortunately, it doesn't really get better from here. Long-term unemployment increased by 397,000 year over year, and involuntary part-time work increased by 980,000. Huge numbers. Not good at all. There's just no way to spend this as positive. But the last thing I'll share is somewhat good news. Average hourly earnings were up 12 cents in December, and that's that means they're up 3.8% year over year, which is outpacing inflation at 2.7%. So that is the closest thing to good we see in these numbers, but not nearly where we need it to be.
Pete Newsome:So we have a long way to go. I'm feeling optimistic about 2026, not because of this data, but because my staffing company is busy, my peers in the industry around the country are busy. I'm hearing lots of good signs as it relates to hiring, and that's the only way we're going to get out of this is if we're seeing more people going to work, more employers having job openings, and at least for the time being, I'm knocking on my desk. I'm seeing that start to develop. So stay tuned for more on that. Time will tell. And those are your headlines for today. That is your headline for today. But here's a fun fact before we close Casual Friday started in Hawaii in the 1960s as Aloha Friday to support the local garment industry. I like that. Casual Fridays. Well, I'm pretty casual today, and it is Friday, so there we go. Thank you for listening. Have a great weekend. Please like, subscribe, share with anyone who you believe might be interested, and I will keep sharing the headlines and look forward to talking to you next week.