Analysis from the live market
The Market Desk
What the job market is doing, from BabZituna’s own listings when they can carry the question and from primary statistics when they cannot. Every figure names its source, and every piece ends with what it means for you. About the desk
Latest analysis
+520,400jobs added by health care and social assistance in the twelve months to September 2026
+496,000jobs added by all US payrolls over the same twelve months
-24,400every other sector together, the desk’s arithmetic on the two figures above
Earlier editions
- Market watchAustralia’s unemployed per vacancy is below any pre-2021 quarterAustralia had 2.2 unemployed people per job vacancy in August 2026, up from 2.0 a year earlier but below the 2.5 that was the lowest of any quarter from 1979 to 2020.
- Market watchUnemployed per vacancy rose only in Canada’s three biggest provincesUnemployed people per job vacancy rose from 1.8 to 3.0 in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia between July 2019 and July 2026, and fell from 3.7 to 2.7 in Canada’s six other provinces with a figure.
- Market watchUnemployment rose in all 96 départements of mainland FranceUnemployment rose in all 96 départements of mainland France in the year to the second quarter of 2026, taking the mainland rate from 7.3% to 8.1%; before 2026, that last happened in 2013.
- Market watchFewer people leave UK payrolls, and fewer still join themIn the year to July 2026, 6.95 million people started being paid through a UK payroll and 7.05 million stopped, against 8.04 million and 7.77 million in the year to July 2019.
- Market watchTech’s lead in EU job vacancies has nearly vanishedIn the second quarter of 2026, 2.2% of posts at EU tech firms were vacant against 2.0% across the economy, down from 3.6% against 2.3% in 2019.
- Market watchBelgium’s youth rate jumped. Poland’s fell.Eurostat’s June figures put youth unemployment in Belgium at 18.9%, up from 15.5% a year earlier: a rise of 3.4 points, the largest move of any country in this table, and nearly one in five of the young people who are in the labour market.
- Market watchWashington shed 339,000 jobsThe August payroll report landed this week and the headline was unremarkable: 162,000 jobs added, unemployment steady at 4.1%.
- Market watchIn July 2026, 28 of America’s 51 labour markets reported unemployment at or below the national 4.1%. Those 28 hold 36.6% of the country’s workers. The four largest markets are all above the line.The United States published a 4.1% unemployment rate for July 2026.
What the desk tracks
Every piece is written from these live streams — open them yourself; they are the same pages we read.
- Salaries by cityMedian advertised pay across 41 hubs, in local currency, refreshed continuously.
- Remote shareHow much of each market is flagged remote-eligible — and where the global pool surfaces.
- Skills in demandWhat employers actually name in listings, recognised against the ESCO vocabulary.
- Who is hiringThe employers holding the most live roles in the aggregated supply, right now.