As Hiring Stalls, Will Consumers Pull Back on Spending?

Job openings were up in November, but so were layoffs, and the pace of quitting fell too … all of which, for November’s government data, point to some uncertainty in the labor market.

That uncertainty may push consumers — particularly those living paycheck to paycheck — to pull back a bit on spending, or at least recalibrate their priorities.

The latest reading on Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (commonly known as the JOLTS report) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, released Tuesday (Jan.