Americans are entering 2026 with diminished confidence about the state of the labor market, after months of slow hiring and a tide of layoff announcements brought 2025 to a troubling close. According to a recent report from the job search platform Monster.com, U.S. workers are preparing for “uncertainty” in 2026, and 40 percent of surveyed employees said they expect the job market to worsen this year, with a further 40 percent anticipating no improvements. The headline figure marks a