By Andrew Soergel
The labor market is widely believed to be approaching – or, arguably, moving deeper into – full employment halfway through 2017.
Unemployment is as low as it’s been in years. In the most recent report, job openings stood at an all-time high of more than 6 million. And wages have shown recent signs of life, though those gains have yet to transfer into meaningful consumer spending growth.
Job creation, however, has been choppy, as employers seem to be moving away from the post-recession days of 200,000-plus monthly job gains. With the government’s much-watched employment report to be published on Friday, analysts, central bankers and investors will have a close eye on just how many new positions U.S. companies managed to drum up during the month of June.
Even a soft number, however, shouldn’t be confused with a slowing demand for workers, says Adam Dalva, the president and CEO of recruiting outfit Search Max, Inc. He says business has never been better during his time in the recruiting industry and that employers across industries are eager to bring more workers on.