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Employment intelligence, in long-form.

Deep dives on layoffs, hiring, and the economic signals shaping the workforce. All sourced, verified, and grounded in data... but also opinions.

Three Crises, Three Job Markets: How 2025 Differs from 2008 and 2020

Nov 22, 2025 • 22 min read

Economic Analysis

Three Crises, Three Job Markets: How 2025 Differs from 2008 and 2020

The 2008 Great Recession saw 8.7 million jobs lost and 10% unemployment. The 2020 pandemic spike hit 14.7% but recovered faster. Today's 2025 market sits at 4.3% with 143,000+ layoffs tracked by theNumbers.io. This data-driven analysis reveals what's different this time and what history tells us about recovery.