Emma Ockerman
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Senior reporter @YahooFinance. Formerly Nikkei Asia, VICE News, MarketWatch, etc. Likes are bookmarks. Email emma.ockerman@yahooinc.com
Articles by Emma Ockerman
July jobs report: US economy lost 23,000 roles, far short of expectations Original
The economy shed 23,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department said Friday, though the unemployment rate slid to 4.1%. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had expected a gain of 80,000 positions, an improvement from June's revised addition of 20,000 jobs. Those predictions were dashed as leisure and hospitality dropped 40,000 roles as the World Cup wound down, and local government positions fell by 57,000. Retailers also axed jobs.
July jobs report: US economy lost 23,000 roles, far short of expectations
6 hours ago The US economy is creating fewer jobs than expected with the employment market performing weaker during the summer than previously thought, official figures show. There was a surprise shedding of 23,000 jobs last month, with declines driven by cuts in local government education and retail roles, …
Jobs report preview: Payrolls expected to grow by 80,000, unemployment seen holding steady Original
Following a week of mixed data on hiring and layoffs, figures coming Friday from the Labor Department will be the arbiter of whether the job market remained stable in July. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expect the US economy added 80,000 positions, while the unemployment rate is expected to stay flat at 4.2%. That would be an improvement from June's jobs report, which showed payrolls grew by 57,000 jobs. Private data released this week on the health of the labor market has been largely benign.
Jobs data live updates: Tech sector responsible for nearly a third of job-cut plans, Challenger data shows
Friday's jobs report will shed light on the state of the labor market, with the federal government's payroll figures for July expected to show an improvement from the month prior. In all likelihood, the labor market's “low-hire, low-fire” narrative dragged on last month. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg predict the jobless rate stayed flat at 4.2%, a hair below its July 2025 level , and expect the economy to add 80,000 jobs.
July layoffs plunged to lowest monthly level in two years: Challenger Original
Layoff announcements continued to decline in July, while hiring plans soared to the highest level for the month since 2022, the global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said Thursday. US employers announced 33,429 job cuts last month, down from June's total of around 46,000 to reach the lowest monthly amount in two years, Challenger said in a report.
ADP: Private sector hiring fell short of expectations last month Original
US private employers added 44,000 jobs last month, payroll processor ADP said Wednesday, missing expectations. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had predicted a gain of 65,000 positions after June brought 95,000 roles. Still, ADP noted that pay for job-switchers accelerated to 7% in July, its fastest annual pace since last August, suggesting demand for some workers may be picking up.
Job openings slowed slightly in June, matching expectations Original
Job openings slid a bit in June compared to the month prior, while the hiring rate improved slightly. Some 7.4 million positions were available at the beginning of the summer, compared to 7.2 million in June 2025, according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Tuesday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had estimated 7.45 million openings for June, a touch lower than May and April's levels.
Consumer sentiment rises in July despite higher gas prices Original
Consumer sentiment continued its upward momentum in July, even as the war with Iran appeared to widen and gas prices once again climbed past $4 a gallon.
K-shaped spending trends might be reversing — or they're just in hibernation Original
Are K-shaped spending patterns on their way out? The trend of well-off Americans opening their wallets with more vigor than their lower-income counterparts has defined much of the recent US economic narrative. The story of the K-shaped economy helps explain how spending can remain so resilient despite sentiment being in the dumps, prices grinding higher, the job market remaining tough for many, and "affordability" becoming the political buzzword du jour.
Just here for the healthcare: Nearly 1 in 4 Americans are stuck in jobs for insurance reasons Original
Nearly 1 in 4 workers in the US feel they can't leave their jobs, despite wanting to, for fear of losing their health insurance, according to a new report. A survey conducted by the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America between late October and late December of last year found the share of Americans with employer-sponsored healthcare reporting "job lock" rose by a whopping 8 percentage points since 2021, hitting 24%.
Over half of laid-off workers feel pressured to accept worse pay, Glassdoor survey finds
Laid-off workers are leaving money on the table when scrambling for their next role. That's according to a new Glassdoor survey of more than 1,700 professionals conducted in May, which found that 57% of respondents felt pressured to accept lower pay after losing a position. Women and older workers were also more likely to report they felt they had to accept lower compensation, Glassdoor said.
Consumer sentiment climbs as lower gas prices offer some relief Original
Consumer sentiment continued its upward momentum in July, hitting its highest level since February as drivers saw some relief at the gas pump. The University of Michigan's preliminary reading of consumer sentiment for July showed the overall index climbed by 10% for the second consecutive month to reach 54.4, while nonetheless remaining lower than a year ago. Sentiment has rebounded after reaching a record low earlier this year.
Job market improves in parts of the country as labor shortages emerge: Beige Book Original
The labor market appears to be picking up steam in some parts of the country, according to the Federal Reserve's latest Beige Book. Across the Federal Reserve's 12 districts, five reported "modest, moderate, or solid gains in employment" in May and June, up from just one district at that status in the previous reporting period, the Fed said. The rest experienced little to no change, consistent with the "low hire, low fire" narrative that has been dogging the economy.
Wallet check: Gas prices are cooling, but inflation still stings
A night at the movies is no longer a cheap date. Data from EntTelligence, a research firm, shows that prices through June 7 for an adult ticket were running at $13.48, compared to $13.07 during the same period in 2025. A typical 16-item basket of groceries pulled together by Yahoo Finance rang in nearly 41% higher in June compared to the same month in 2019, far outpacing overall inflation.
Wallet check: Gas prices are cooling, but inflation still stings
Whether paying for a night out or working just to fill the fridge, consumers are undoubtedly having trouble escaping rising prices. Though consumers by now have largely grown used to costs that soared during the pandemic, never came back to Earth, and keep ticking higher, the conflict with Iran this year has pressured prices even further. While gas prices are cooling off from highs hit earlier in the war, they're still above year-ago levels.
Inflation cooled off in June as energy prices slid Original
Growth in consumer prices cooled more than expected in June — albeit from an already high level — as drivers saw some relief at the pump. The Consumer Price Index, released Tuesday, showed inflation declined 0.4% on a monthly basis in June, the largest single-month decline since April 2020. Annual inflation also eased to 3.5%, the government said, in the lowest yearly reading since March.
What happened to inflation in June? Data expected to show moderating price growth. Original
As market watchers anticipate consumer inflation data for June, economists are predicting that price growth might have cooled — albeit from an already high level — as drivers saw some relief at the pump. The June Consumer Price Index will be released on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. ET.
More Americans are struggling to repay credit card bills for groceries as costs rise Original
High grocery prices are creating downstream financial troubles for more Americans. More than a quarter of US working-age adults who used credit cards to cover grocery costs last year struggled to repay their bills in full later on, either making only the minimum payment or missing that threshold entirely, new research from the Urban Institute has found.
K-shaped spending: The top 10% drop nearly as much on nonessentials as the bottom 70% combined Original
Households in the top 10% income bracket drop nearly as much money on discretionary items — the stuff that doesn't include necessities like housing and healthcare — as the bottom 70% combined, according to experts at the Bank of America Institute.
K-shaped spending: The top 10% drop nearly as much on nonessentials as the bottom 70% combined
A customer shops at a Grocery Outlet store in Pleasanton, Calif. (AP Photo/Terry Chea, File) Households in the top 10% income bracket drop nearly as much money on discretionary items — the stuff that doesn't include necessities like housing and healthcare — as the bottom 70% combined, according to experts at the Bank of America Institute.
Good news, software developers: Job postings are ticking up post-Claude Code Original
Software developer job postings have picked up since the introduction of Claude Code in early 2025, according to an analysis from the Indeed Hiring Lab.
Consumers dread rising healthcare, rent costs: New York Fed
Consumers fear price increases aren't abating anytime soon. Median inflation expectations for the year ahead rose in June to 3.7%, according to the New York Fed's June survey of consumer expectations. That's the highest since September 2023, when the economy was recovering from a brutal surge in prices the previous year. Expectations for inflation over the next three years also climbed to 3.3%, the most since June 2022, when inflation peaked at a 40-year high of 9.1% .
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