Individuals have a harder time finding jobs after long absences.

… igible for unemployment benefits after six months, and perhaps even sooner depending on the state. Such people would be without their regular income from work as well as social assistance, putting financial stress on households at a time when gasoline prices and the overall inflation rate remain elevated, economists said. watch now VIDEO 8:23 08:23 Experts react to the July jobs report Squawk Box Individuals also generally have a harder time finding jobs after long absences, and the long-term unemployed tend to earn less when they eventually find a new job, economists said. Meanwhile, "it's really hard to continue growing [the] economy if [you] don't have the workers to support that growth," said Stahle. Other signs of a tough job market Employer hiring has been muted since 2024, according to federal data. Since then, the hiring rate has hovered at its lowest levels since 2014. Meanwhile, layoffs have been historically low, creating little churn and leaving fewer vacancies for job seekers. Job growth has also been relatively muted. Employers have added 26,000 jobs per month, on average, in the 12 months from August 2025 to July 2026. The average was 66,000 the prior year, and 142,000 the one before, according to federal data. Hiring also hasn't been broad, making it especially tough for workers outside fields like healthcare that are adding jobs with more regularity, economists said. "Hiring displays little sense of active momentum, and with some concentrated contributions that we have highlighted in prior months (in areas like healthcare), there is some hiring happening, but it is concentrated," Rick Rieder, head of the Global Allocation Investment team at BlackRock, a money manager, wrote in an analysis Friday. Ultimately, it's a good time to have a job — and not a good time to be out of one, Stahle said. One way job seekers might find more success in the current environment is by parlaying skills in industries that are hiring at a more rapid pace right now, Stahle said. For example, someone with information technology experience might consider looking for a job within a hospital system or elsewhere within the healthcare sector, he said. Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news. Subscribe to CNBC PRO Subscribe to Investing Club Licensing & Reprints CNBC Councils Select Personal Finance Join the CNBC Panel Closed Captioning Digital Products News Releases Internships Corrections About CNBC Site Map Podcasts Careers Help Contact News Tips Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you. Get In Touch CNBC Newsletters Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox Sign Up Now Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. Advertise With Us Please Contact Us Ad Choices Privacy Policy Your Privacy Choices CA Notice Terms of Service © 2026 Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company. Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis. Market Data Terms of Use and Disclaimers Data also provided by