Beware the no-context, gloomy jobs report headlines 👎

The expectations game doesn't reveal the full picture

A ' We're Hiring" sign hangs near the entrance to a CVS store on November 05, 2021 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Source: Getty Images)

Upon reading mainstream news headlines, you might think the U.S. labor market is in trouble.

Here’s a sampling of what some of the major outlets were running on their homepages as of around 10 a.m. ET:

• “Economy added just 210,000 jobs last month, far below expectations“ - NBC News

• “US employers added a sluggish 210,000 jobs in November“ - ABC News

• “US hiring stumbles in November as economy adds just 210,000 new jobs“ - Fox Business News

• “Hiring stalled in November, with businesses adding only 210,000 jobs” - CBS News

• “Disappointing jobs report: American employers added only 210,000 new jobs in November“ - CNN

Despite what these headlines say, don’t get caught going around telling people “hiring stalled,” because that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Here’s where these headlines are coming from