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Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News
Thursday, April 02, 2026

U.S. job openings fell more than expected in February and hiring dropped to the lowest level in nearly six years, government data showed on Tuesday.

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Job openings were down in February, but January's total was revised up. On balance, openings have basically stabilized in recent months (or maybe are trending down ever so slightly). #NumbersDay

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-- Ben Casselman (@bencasselman.bsky.social) Mar 31, 2026 at 10:15 AM

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... Job openings, a measure of labor demand, decreased 358,000 to 6.882 million by the last day of February, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said in its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS report. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 6.918 million unfilled jobs. The job openings rate dropped to 4.2% from 4.4% in January.

Hiring decreased by 498,000 positions to 4.849 million last month, the lowest level since March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hires rate dropped to 3.1% from 3.4% in January. Layoffs and discharges increased 61,000 to a still-low 1.721 million, with the rate rising to 1.1% from 1.0% in the prior month.

A reluctance by employers to engage in large-scale hiring or layoffs has created what Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell this month called a "zero-employment growth equilibrium" that has "a feel of downside risk."

Economists blame the labor market stasis on lingering uncertainty caused by President Donald Trump's trade and immigration policies that have undercut demand for and supply of workers. Private nonfarm payrolls growth averaged only 18,000 jobs per month in the three months through February. ...



#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-03-31 09:42 PM | Reply

OpEd: Trump Turbocharges U.S. Economic Comeback As Socialism Keeps Failing Worldwide
www.heritage.org

... Lower taxes and fewer, fairer regulations have always boosted dynamism, incentivized entrepreneurship and sharpened America's competitive edge.

Around the world, nations stand at a crossroads. Whether they choose the path of Donald Trump is doing in the United States -- or socialism will determine not only their material prosperity, but the security and flourishing of their people.

That's the core finding of the Heritage Foundation's just-released "2026 Index of Economic Freedom." Pro-growth policies are an investment in the people who make nations strong, resilient and prosperous.

That is certainly the approach President Trump took in 2025. Setting the stage for America's comeback and paving the way for greater economic dynamism, his policy choices arrested the precipitous decline of America's economic freedom. America's Index score for President Joe Biden's final year in office was its lowest ever. ...


#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-04-01 02:01 AM | Reply

@#2

Wow.

Wasn't the Heritage Foundation the driving force behind Project 2025?

#3 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-04-01 02:04 AM | Reply

HECKUVA JOB THERE, PEDO!

#4 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-04-01 08:52 PM | Reply

all this to own the libs... smh... pathetic...

#5 | Posted by RightisTrite at 2026-04-02 07:29 PM | Reply

All the more reason to deport as many illegal aliens as possible.

#6 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-04-03 12:18 AM | Reply

After high-skilled labor markets experienced mass layoffs, and nobody can find a high skilled job, and they can't go buy a house, smellfinger's solution is to have them go build houses. Or pick fruit.

Hey smelly, do you think building houses pays enough to buy a house? Does picking fruit pay enough to buy groceries?

It may have at one time, in some areas, but not anymore.

Do you have even the slightest clue what I'm getting at?

#7 | Posted by horstngraben at 2026-04-03 01:06 AM | Reply

All the more reason to deport as many illegal aliens as possible.
#6 | Posted by BellRinger

You are economically illiterate.
Name any country in the history of the world that has prospered economically thanks to mass deportations.

You didn't come up with the idea that mass deportations is good through study of economics.
Thus, economics won't change your mind about it either.

Regardless, Trump's actions on immigrants and immigration are already costing the tourism industry billions.
"multiple reports projecting losses between $29 billion and $90 billion in lost revenue and GDP"
This is what you voted for.

#8 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-04-03 01:10 AM | Reply

Of course the point went over your tiny head.

If we have a shortage of job openings as reported in the headline, the more illegal aliens deported translates to a labor market where fewer LEGAL residents are competing for those jobs.

Econ101 but I find that far too many lefties are completely ignorant when it comes to economics.

#9 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-04-03 01:11 AM | Reply

"Of course the point went over your tiny head."

Your point wasn't big enough to move the needle on GDP.
Unlike like Trump's immigration policy is already costing us 29 to 90 billion dollars in lost revenue.
If you understood that, you wouldn't have thought you were making a good point, but you don't understand that.

"If we have a shortage of job openings as reported in the headline, the more illegal aliens deported translates to a labor market where fewer LEGAL residents are competing for those jobs."

That doesn't make up for any of the jobs lost in tourism or elsewhere.
That doesn't create any new jobs either.
That simply changes who's in the job.
I don't think spending upwards of a hundred thousand dollars per deportee is the best way for America to make sure jobs only go to eligible workers.
You do think spending upwards of a hundred thousand dollars per deportee is good, because this isn't about money for you, it's about finding a target group of people you can be inhumane towards, and gloat about it.

And the fact that you think illegal immigrants are in the running for jobs when jobs are already scarce, well, that just goes to show how economically illiterate you are.

#10 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-04-03 01:17 AM | Reply

"Econ101 "

I doubt you even took Econ 101.
I'm increasingly doubtful you went to whatever small liberal arts collage was on JeffJ's profile.
You are a profoundly ignorant man.

#11 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-04-03 01:19 AM | Reply

"Of course the point went over your tiny head."

No, it went over yours.
I asked,
Name any country in the history of the world that has prospered economically thanks to mass deportations.

The reason you can't do that is two-fold.
You have no idea what you're talking about, but that's okay, because you simply don't care that the facts and history disagree with you.

#12 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-04-03 01:25 AM | Reply

Econ101 but I find that far too many lefties are completely ignorant when it comes to economics.

#9 | Posted by BellRinger

Says the dumbf*&^ trying to explain historic job losses and the predictable historic job opening decline with the arrests of abuelas, 6-year-old school children and gardeners.

Just STFU. As usual, you think you have a clue when you're nothing but ignorant and stupid.

#13 | Posted by jpw at 2026-04-03 01:51 AM | Reply

Just STFU.

"Truck stop" thing in 3... 2... 1...

#14 | Posted by REDIAL at 2026-04-03 01:55 AM | Reply | Funny: 1

Unemployment going up.
Job losses at sustained high levels.
Bond yields rising.
Markets turbulent and on downward trend.
Numerous other economic indicators flashing red.

Headline: US Job Openings Fall in February; Lowest Since Pandemic

Pedoringer: Clearly, it's the illegal aliens. Don't you stupid libruls know anything about ee-co-nomicks?

And you wonder why we think you're an idiot? And a bigoted, dumbf*&^ Trumper idiot at that?

If only you and others like you would accept that you and every other righty knows jacks*&^ about economics and the world will improve dramatically within days.

#15 | Posted by jpw at 2026-04-03 02:00 AM | Reply

"Truck stop" thing in 3... 2... 1...

#14 | Posted by REDIAL

Starting to think those are the last words he hears (or wants to hear...) before the hand grabs the back of his head and pushes down...

#16 | Posted by jpw at 2026-04-03 02:01 AM | Reply

I guess smellfinger was, or maybe still is, competing with illegals for jobs.

If that's the case, he didn't even graduate high school.

#17 | Posted by horstngraben at 2026-04-03 02:08 AM | Reply

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