Marketplace There are more unemployed people than job openings right now
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Feb 5, 2026 Daniel Ackerman, a labor-market reporter who breaks down JOLTS data, and Eric Kunzman, a photography professor who upcycles payphones for public use. They explore falling job openings, a mismatch between unemployed workers and vacancies, hiring slowdowns in services and AI’s role, banks’ caution lending to AI-exposed firms, and a project turning payphones into free community phones.
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Job Openings Lag Behind Unemployed
- The U.S. now has more unemployed people than job openings, signaling a misaligned labor market.
- Services sector demand fell while goods-producing demand held up, shifting hiring patterns.
AI Could Be Reshaping Hiring Demand
- AI adoption may be reducing demand for some professional and business services and slowing hiring.
- Economists caution it's early, but AI could shift firms toward deploying automation rather than hiring.
Long-Term Unemployment Is Rising Fast
- Long-term unemployment has nearly doubled in three years, showing the labor market's scarring effects.
- Young workers and Black workers face especially steep increases in unemployment rates.