{"id":7452,"date":"2026-05-18T13:31:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T13:31:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=7452"},"modified":"2026-05-18T13:31:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T13:31:30","slug":"why-you-should-be-worried-about-job-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=7452","title":{"rendered":"Why you should be worried about job security"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Many economists and financial analysts seem puzzled by Americans\u2019 uneasiness about business conditions.<\/p>\n

Read more Wall Street edges lower, oil prices volatile after Trump warns the Iran \u2018clock is ticking\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Well, maybe it\u2019s because these commentators don\u2019t have to worry about their paychecks.<\/p>\n

Take the latest widespread upbeat spin on the nation\u2019s job market. April\u2019s numbers \u2013 bosses added 115,000 workers, adjusted for seasonal swings \u2013 were seen by many economic gurus as a surprising increase amid a war with Iran and its resulting ballooning energy costs.<\/p>\n

April\u2019s jobs bump also was hailed for topping the gurus\u2019 consensus estimate of job growth, a gap that might be more a critique of so-called \u201cexpert\u201d analytical skills than of improved employment patterns.<\/p>\n

Yet when my trusty spreadsheet reviewed 50 years\u2019 worth of U.S. monthly employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it found some anxiety-building trends.<\/p>\n

Yes, three of the 2026\u2019s first four months had job creation of more than 100,000. That\u2019s modestly encouraging only because it followed an eight-month streak of fewer than 100,000 new jobs.<\/p>\n

Those eight months were the longest period of monthly employment creation less than six figures since a 26-month drought that ended in February 2010 during the Great Recession.<\/p>\n

When were other notable sub-100,000 job creation streaks in the past half-century?<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

There was the 21-month streak that ended in September 2002 \u2013 surrounding the 9\/11 terror attacks and the dot-com stock collapse.<\/p>\n

Also, an 11-month streak ended in March 1992 as the economy was digesting the other oil-price shock and a collapse in regional real estate, notably in California.<\/p>\n

So, we\u2019ve been in ugly job market territory. Consider recent job creation on a historical scale.<\/p>\n

April\u2019s 115,000 job creation was 7% off the 124,000-a-month average over the past 10 years; a period that included the pandemic workforce swings.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Or with a much longer-term lens, you see that April was 13% below the 50-year average of 132,400.<\/p>\n

Skittish survey<\/h4>\n

These dour trends align with what economically skittish Americans told pollsters who create the Conference Board\u2019s consumer confidence index.<\/p>\n

Read more Redistricting debate shifts to South Carolina as Republicans seek clean sweep of US House seats<\/a><\/p>\n

The economic expectations score for 2026\u2019s first four months was 17% below average.<\/p>\n

One reason is 22% of people polled see a worse business climate ahead; well above the average 14% since 2000.<\/p>\n

And jobs prospects? The poll found 27% expect fewer jobs versus 19% historically.<\/p>\n

Unnerved employers<\/h4>\n

The feeble U.S. job creation spooking consumers is the byproduct of numerous factors.<\/p>\n

For starters, the Trump administration\u2019s unorthodox economic policies are unnerving some employers.<\/p>\n

For example, President Donald Trump\u2019s tariff policy has raised the prices of certain imported goods, posing challenges for employers who use or sell them. Then there\u2019s Trump\u2019s anti-immigration push that\u2019s made staffing headaches even tougher in numerous industries.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s more than the White House.<\/p>\n

Do not overlook stubbornly high interest rates, which depress the work of businesses dependent on cheap financing.<\/p>\n

Plus, the corporate adoption of artificial intelligence is beginning to trim certain employers\u2019 need for workers.<\/p>\n

Long-term laggard<\/h4>\n

Let\u2019s agree that one month is no trend. So, we will ponder 12-month trends.<\/p>\n

Think about how many jobs were created during the past year; the period following Trump\u2019s April 2025 announcement of \u201cLiberation Day\u201d and the start of tariff battles with other nations.<\/p>\n

American bosses added just 251,000 workers during the past 12 months.<\/p>\n

How slow is that?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s just 17% of the 1.48 million-a-year pace of the past 10 years. It\u2019s also 16% of the 1.59 million annual average, dating to 1976.<\/p>\n

So, Americans have plenty of reasons to worry about their paychecks. The past year\u2019s job creation was one-sixth of what\u2019s normal.<\/p>\n

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Senior living: What Americans should know about a new Medicare option for weight loss drugs<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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