Job market power is swinging back to employers

There are increasing signs that workers' power — a consequence of the hot COVID-era economy — is leveling off or even eroding in some sectors.

Why it matters: The super-tight labor market has been great for working people but a little too spicy for the Fed's taste — chair Jerome Powell has cited it as a factor driving inflation. Now there are signs his rate hikes are having the intended cooling-off effect.

What they're saying: "It's not that workers have lost power, it's just that they're not increasingly gaining it," says Nick Bunker, economic research director at Indeed.

Details: There are still way more job listings on Indeed than there were before the pandemic started — a clear sign of high demand for workers — but postings are coming back down from the highs of last year.

• The tech sector, where we've seen the most layoffs over the past month, is notching some noticeable declines. Listings for "software developers" fell about 7% over the past four weeks, Bunker says.
• The folks at the Layoffs tracker website noted 109 layoff events so far in June, compared to 75 the prior month and just 17 in March.

Fear factor: You can't discount the role psychology is playing in the power equation. Employers fearing a recession are pulling back postings, Bloomberg wrote earlier this week. At the same time, workers are starting to worry about job security, as we reported.

• Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal is giving advice on how to keep your job.

And yet: Remember, the unemployment rate is still really low!

What to watch: Whether the quits rate starts to ebb, Bunker says. So far it's held relatively steady, a sign that workers are still feeling that leverage — confident enough to risk a new job.

• The next report is due out from the Labor Department in July.