State of the Labor Market
February 11, 2026 1:00 PM ET
After a yearslong stretch of historically tight conditions, the U.S. labor market cooled significantly in 2025, particularly in the latter half of the year. This abrupt slowdown raises questions about what organizations should expect for recruiting and retaining talent, the evolution of broader economic conditions, and likely economic policy developments in 2026. This webinar seeks to inform these expectations by providing a detailed overview of current labor market conditions, including key trends that are poised to shape public policy and HR practices.
SHRM Knowledge Advisors will join the live webinar to answer your questions in real time—right in the chat. If we don’t get to your question during the session? No problem, SHRM members can head to SHRM Connect after this webinar to keep the conversation going with advisors for 30 extra minutes. This benefit is only for members who join the live webinar and not included later on demand.
Meet the Presenters
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Justin Ladner
is a Senior Labor Economist at SHRM. His work centers on examining labor market trends and emerging issues facing employers and employees. He also has extensive experience researching occupational mobility, personnel training, recruiting, and retention. In all of these areas, he is passionate about leveraging data and analytics to inform real-world policy improvements.
Justin holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan, as well as a master’s degree in economics and bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics from Boston University.
SHRM certification has approved this webinar for 1 PDC toward SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP recertification. A program code will be provided at the end of the webinar.