"Job markets are still extremely strong"

It seems like that is only true if you're in a niche (like skilled tech) or if you're <$20/hr. I see tons of openings for shit jobs (low wage and/or bad environment).

Even being in tech and making under the national average for devs, I don't see many good jobs posted that fit with my experience. I'd like to switch industries, but that would generally require a significant pay cut and other downsides with things like working construction, warehouse, driving a truck, etc.

> I see tons of openings for shit jobs (low wage and/or bad environment).

This is evidence of a strong job market.

It’s also evidence they’ll all eventually be raising their wages even more than they have to attract workers.

Which will then further increase inflation (somewhat).

There is a desperate need for auto technicians, starting $60hr in small towns.

Amazon, Walmart, Publix are paying pickers $30/hr

Buckey's, Loves, all paying over $20hr with benefits

The mechanic route is something I thought about. It seems a little questionable given the shift to EVs with lower maintenance needs and manufacturers (TSLA) being restrictive.

Becoming an electrician is currently at the top of my list. There should be considerable future work with all the various popular changes (EV chargers, solar panels, old homes being updated, new home and office construction, etc).

> Gas prices lately have plunged relative to where they were

Have they? Where, and by how much?

I'm still seeing ~$5/gal gas around here...

Here in Dallas I was seeing gas for $4.85 a couple weeks ago and sub $4 today.

Crude oil has plunged. Gas prices pretty much remain elevated. I still see a lot of locations in Los Angeles charging preposterous $7+ a gallon with general prices pulling back $0.25-$0.30. That's a not a plunge.

I didn’t see anywhere above 6.69 in Pasadena

I see $7 all over Burbank and Encino, especially off of freeways.

Oil prices are down 25% since mid June. Gas prices are down roughly 8% on average in the USA during the same time.

But remember, California $6/ga gas is Texas $4/ga gas.

Financial markets are leading indicators of job markets. The stock price is about expected future performance. When that bad performance materializes they decrease hiring and start layoffs. Then tax income decreases, which leads to public sector budget issues, so they start cutting too.

Strong job numbers are negative for the economy and markets now. It implies future inflationary pressures.

We're almost certainly below the natural rate of unemployment, meaning even a declining CPI isn't enough for the Fed to stop hiking