"It's just not quite as hot as it was maybe a year or two ago."
Zhao says one of the big trends he's 5observed over the last couple of years is the 6contributions of certain sectors toward job growth.
"Healthcare, education, and government are a major driver of jobs growth. And that continued in November, especially as you see a lot of local and state governments try to catch up on some of the hiring that they 7missed out 8earlier on in the recovery."
The November unemployment rate also 9ticked up to 4.2% from 4.1%, marking the first time since 2021 it's been above 4% for six 10consecutive months. Unemployment among Black and Hispanic workers also rose from October, coming in at 6.4% and 5.3% 11respectively. In many cases, Zhao says employers are trying to get more done with less.
"That means they're putting a lot of pressure on managers, on workers to try to get more done, and whether that means return to office, whether that means just 12raising the bar on some of their targets."
Leaving some employees feeling 13unfulfilled.
"A lot of workers feel very 14hesitant to leave a job in order to try to find something better in the market right now and unfortunately, that is creating a situation where many workers feel 15stuck in their careers right now."