Why Stagflation Is Creating a Two-Tier Job Market

Episode 38 of Stagflation Conversations with Fexingo digs into a striking trend: while the headline unemployment rate sits at 4.3% and payrolls keep growing, the long-term unemployed — those out of work for 27 weeks or more — are stacking up faster than in any recovery since the 1980s. Lucas and Luna connect the dots between the latest JOLTS data showing 7.6 million openings and the harder reality for workers who've been job hunting for months. They explore why employers in a stagflation environment favor the newly unemployed over those with gaps, and how this two-tier dynamic mirrors the late 1970s. The conversation lands on the hidden structural cost: skills erosion, diminished bargaining power, and a workforce that's less responsive to the next upturn. Anchored to the June 2026 economic picture, this episode offers a specific, data-driven look at a labor market divide that rarely makes the front page. #Stagflation #Economics #LaborMarket #LongTermUnemployment #JOLTS #JobOpenings #UnemploymentRate #HiringBias #SkillsErosion #TwoTierLaborMarket #1970sParallels #HiddenUnemployment #WorkforceTrends #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #EconomicDivide #StructuralUnemployment #June2026 Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo