Marketplace Unemployment hits four-year high
19 snips
Dec 16, 2025 Marketplace reporters dive into the alarming rise of U.S. unemployment to 4.6%, highlighting how many part-time workers seek full-time roles and the strain on the labor market. Keith Gabbard, CEO of the People's Rural Telephone Cooperative, discusses rural broadband expansion and federal funding challenges. The podcast also explores the health care sector's job resilience, potential slowdowns in hiring, and the surge in young workers opting for trade schools amid AI uncertainties. Plus, a look at booming ad revenue projections.
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Update Skills And Seek Career Coaching
- Job seekers should consider updating skills and seeking coaching as hiring processes slow and take longer.
- Career coach Amanda Augustine reports many long-term unemployed now seek extra help to reenter the market.
Part-Time-to-Full-Time Mismatch Signals Stress
- Part-time workers who want full-time jobs are at their highest since March 2021 and indicate economic strain.
- Sarah Foster warns headline unemployment alone can misstate workers' real difficulties finding preferred work.
Health Care Is Carrying Job Growth — But Risks Loom
- Health care and social assistance added most jobs in November, making the sector the main engine of hiring.
- Risks like Medicaid cuts and fading ACA subsidies could flatten health-care job growth ahead.