Disconnect between official job data and people's experience on the job market?

[Anonymous]

Everyone is saying it's a tough job market. How so? The weekly labour data seem to point to a health labour market.

[Anonymous]

No one experiences the national job market, they experience a job market based on their region, industry, and occupation.

[Anonymous]

Job market data has a lot of retail and hospitality jobs.

[Anonymous]

Here in the DC region it's currently difficult to find a long-term position that can pay the mortgage and sustain a family. This is because the federal workforce has suffered from drastic cuts, which has had a domino effect on service jobs to that workforce. Also, housing is quite expensive here (not as expensive has San Fran or NYC, but still).

The market data includes a lot of low-paying manual jobs that cannot replace a lost $150K fed position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one experiences the national job market, they experience a job market based on their region, industry, and occupation.

+1. Plus the jobs report is a lagging indicator not a leading indicator

[Anonymous]

There is a saying that a recession is when your neighbor loses their job, and a depression is when you loss your job.

Evaluation of the job market is similar. If you are personally having trouble finding work it is hard to understand that the overall job market might not be terrible.

[Anonymous]

Because those who are unemployed have a more difficult time finding a job than those who are employed.

There seems to be serious discrimination against people who got laid off. These people can’t find jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Job market data has a lot of retail and hospitality jobs.

Yep, this. Most of the country works in these jobs so they dominate the jobs data. You can dig down and look at the white collar job market data...not so good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a saying that a recession is when your neighbor loses their job, and a depression is when you loss your job.

Evaluation of the job market is similar. If you are personally having trouble finding work it is hard to understand that the overall job market might not be terrible.

People use "the job market" as shorthand for the job market that's relevant to the context.

[Anonymous]

Outside of dc job market feels surprisingly good. It’s only on dcum that I hear about the terrible market.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Outside of dc job market feels surprisingly good. It’s only on dcum that I hear about the terrible market.

I have friends in NYC and California out of work for months. But GenX or older millenials.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Outside of dc job market feels surprisingly good. It’s only on dcum that I hear about the terrible market.

If you're junior and in tech, it's bad nationally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Job market data has a lot of retail and hospitality jobs.

So that's the issue though because these are the most disliked jobs by laid off White collar workers.

[Anonymous]

The US creates a lot of jobs. Many of these jobs are low payments ng jobs tough without good health benefits and retirement package. We have this saying in this county that a job is a job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Outside of dc job market feels surprisingly good. It’s only on dcum that I hear about the terrible market.

“Feels” good? Are you getting offers or even interviews? That’s all that matters and that’s not happening for many people, even outside DC.

To anyone actually looking for a job right now who isn’t in healthcare or hospitality/retail, the jobs reports “feel” like a complete joke. Or a lie. Or both.