Are We in a Jobless Recovery?
Are We in a Jobless Recovery?  
Podcast: Bank Nerd Corner
Published On: Fri Feb 06 2026
Description: Bank Nerd Corner welcomes Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union. Heather focuses on labor data and consumer health — an important topic for healthy of financial institutions and the economy writ large.  She’s seen some concerning things in the last 12 to 24 months: a K-shaped recovery and an emerging jobless boom. One reason why could be how companies are leveraging artificial intelligence to maintain or lower headcounts while maintaining productivity.  Finally, Heather and Kiah think about what financial institutions should be looking at for signs of consumer health or weakness, and how they can stay close to their consumers. Fintech Takes Banking is the weekly newsletter for bank execs who get it. Subscribe for the latest in regulation, tech, financials, operations and, yes, accounting, straight to your inbox: https://fintechtakes.com/banking/newsletter-subscription/ Follow Kiah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khaslett/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/khaslett Follow Heather: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hlong/ Twitter: https://x.com/byHeatherLong