Yes, the labor market is still going strong.

But some signs today tell us things might be going down.

From American public media, this is Marketplace.

In Portland, Oregon, I'm Arimachreis in Ferkai, Rizdal.

It is Tuesday, April 4th.

Good to have you with us.

Now of course, the attention today is on our legal system,

but we are going to stand our lane and focus on where the economy is headed.

And today we got some pretty important revealing data about our job market.

It comes to us by way of the job openings and labor turnover survey.

It shows us that employers in February posted the fewest job openings in nearly two years,

fell by more than 600,000.

I mean, I'll number people hired and let go state about the same.

Now, in normal times, fewer job openings might not seem like a great thing.

But right now, cautiously speaking, it's a pretty good sign.

Marketplace's debris benichor explains why.

For inflation to not be crazy, wage growth has to also not be crazy.

That is why the Fed would like to see a cooler labor market, cooler, not cold.

The problem is, when the Fed has fought inflation before,

it's usually ended up freezing the labor market, sending the economy into a recession.

The hope is that this time around, we get a labor market that is just right.

Inflation comes down to just right.

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