Tariffs, AI fears and shaky economics have slowed hiring but there are ways talent and brands can find opportunity in the standstill. The US retail labour market is unusually steady — companies wary of tariffs and economic uncertainty aren’t cutting deeply, but they’re not hiring aggressively either. For top executives, stability offers the time needed to implement and prove out strategies but for mid-level talent, it often means stalled mobility. Opportunities are emerging in adjacent sectors,