Despite a disappointing jobs report, the news is still pretty good.

“It’s the most desperate situation that I can ever recall being in and I’ve been in some pretty desperate ones,” said one restauranteur.

States that weren’t hit as hard by the pandemic slowdown have already mostly recovered.

Weekly unemployment claims are still hovering at the lowest level we’ve seen since 1969.

Pandemic-related negativity and fear isn’t leading to negative or fearful economic behavior.

Productivity drops can confirm other trends like rising wages and shortages of materials.

With signing bonuses, rising wages and less fear of being laid off — what’s not to like?

Between COVID, shifting policy, and “The Big Quit”, it’s hard to get a handle on how the employment picture’s changing.

The number of new jobless claims filed last week was the lowest since March of 2020.

A view of the strong labor market in a rural Ohio town.