Job market overview from Bankrate.com’s Mark Hamrick as he speaks with Les Sinclair:
The low level of the national unemployment rate, recently at 3.6% in April, is probably the most positive aspect of the U.S. economy right now.

For now, the outlook suggests that the job market remains firm and that hiring continues to outpace the growth of the workforce. In other words, remaining slack in the job market continues to be slowly reduced. For qualified workers, that’s a great opportunity. For employers, it adds to the challenges of conducting business when they are struggling to find good candidates and sometimes leaving jobs unfilled.

Expansion at risk? The big question is how much longer the U.S. expansion can continue. The upward turn from the Great Recession came a decade ago. Risks are rising that a downturn arrives more quickly than expected.

The Fed doing some head-scratching: The Federal Reserve is watching the lack of inflation pressure combined with falling bond yields as investors bet that it will be prompted to cut interest rates this year. Bankrate found that 40% of surveyed economists now expect a rate cut in the next 12 months.

Young people would do well to seek summer work: With the arrival of summer comes the opportunity for younger Americans to find seasonal work. Many would be well-advised to do so and not just for the dollars. It is important to remember that learning comes through a variety of means including formal education, via parents and also through the unique kind of experience that only work affords. For years now, fewer young people have been employed much to their detriment because they are missing out on important learning opportunities which occur outside the classroom. Take-home pay isn’t always the point. Employers value so-called soft skills which are sometimes hard to find in job applicants.

For more on the economist survey, click here: https://www.bankrate.com/personal-finance/smart-money/economic-indicator-survey-june-2019/