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Retail & Consumer
Hiring signals across stores, restaurants, e-commerce, and the consumer economy.
Live Market Data · BLS CES
Avg hourly earnings — Trade/Transport/Utilities
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CES · last 24 months · methodology
Live Market Data · BLS JOLTS
Retail trade job openings
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS · last 24 months · methodology
Recent Hiring Signals(1)
Latest News(30)
See all →How Litter Robot is doing TikTok Shop without the deep discounts↗
Why food partnerships are only getting bigger: ‘Everyone is in each other’s business,’ plus news↗
Ikea to shutter 3 small-format plan and order stores↗
Nike extends turnaround timeline amid more layoffs, sales declines↗
Chicken Salad Chick targets Northeast for growth↗
Charleys Cheesesteaks & Wings updates menu, rewards program↗
How 4 c-stores upgraded their foodservice by hiring restaurant professionals↗
The Weekly Closeout: Revolve debuts magazine and Cato closes 120 stores↗
Oregon college wellness kiosk offers health products with 24-hour access↗
Holiday shoppers setting budgets, planning earlier↗
Long-form Analysis(157)
See all →October Is a Dead Zone for Hiring Approvals. Here Is What to Do About It.
One in three executives is pausing hiring decisions until the November midterm results. September added 29,000 jobs. Here is how to build Q4 momentum in a frozen approval environment.
Oct 4, 2026 · BlueLine Research
September Added 29,000 Jobs. The Revision History Is the Story.
The September payroll print missed badly, July got revised negative again, and the sectors doing the heavy lifting aren't the ones most corporate recruiters serve.
Oct 3, 2026 · BlueLine Research
JOLTS August 2026: Finance Surges, Manufacturing Executes, Healthcare Gets Hit Twice
The headline is flat: 7.079 million openings, a 1.9% quit rate that will not move. Inside that flat number, finance added 49,000 openings, manufacturing hires rose 39,000, and healthcare took a double hit.
Oct 2, 2026 · BlueLine Research
September Added 90,000 Jobs. Finance and Professional Services Lost 27,000 of Them.
ADP's September 2026 report beat forecasts, but white-collar sectors shed net jobs while healthcare and hospitality carried the entire gain.
Oct 1, 2026 · BlueLine Research
AI Is Squeezing Wages for Degree Holders -- Not the Workers Anyone Expected
A Census Bureau working paper and a September 2026 economist survey converge on the same finding: AI's sharpest wage pressure is landing on college graduates, not trade workers.
Sep 30, 2026 · BlueLine Research
Job Postings Just Turned Positive for the First Time in Nearly Four Years
The Indeed Job Postings Index hit positive year-over-year growth in September 2026 for the first time since late 2022. That is a real inflection - but the hires rate tells a different story.
Sep 29, 2026 · BlueLine Research
The Labor Market Leading Indicator Every Recruiter Ignores
The ASA Staffing Index tracks temporary employment weekly and historically predicts permanent hiring by one to two quarters. September's reading is 5.8% above year-ago levels.
Sep 27, 2026 · BlueLine Research
The Four-Year Job Postings Drought Is Over. Here's What Recruiters Should Do Now.
After nearly four years of declining or flat labor demand, Indeed's Job Postings Index just turned positive for the first time. The sourcing window is open -- for now.
Sep 25, 2026 · BlueLine Research
October 2025 Was the Worst Month for Layoffs in 22 Years. October 2026 Won't Be.
Employers announced 153,074 job cuts in October 2025, the worst October since 2003. Hiring managers are bracing for a repeat. The Q4 2026 data says they are wrong.
Sep 24, 2026 · BlueLine Research
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