Ok- so bear with me on this… my brain is all over the place with everything that is happening and trying to keep up with what this looks like for the labor market.

There is so much to watch for with the AI/Deepseek/OpenAI/Tech changes happening right now. Trying to make sense of what is to come for the job market in both tech and fintech sectors... I do believe there will be a a reckoning. Not sure what it looks like yet, but it's brewing.

I feel like this will be last earnings call that looks stellar for a while. It can’t keep going, and chatter behind the scenes suggests some big players are struggling to keep the momentum inflated. Labor market be warned.

Here’s your earnings calendar for the week.

I'll be diving into oil & tech companies the most. I called Chevron/BP layoffs and my guess is that Halliburton is next.

The pink bars on Chevron’s arrivals/departures chart tell the story: 2024 was all about massive staff-level departures. The blue line? A steady decline in employee count, showing these cuts weren’t sudden.

👉👉 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝘅𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲: (more than their 400 expected in 2025/2026)

I also am anticipating adding a few of these to my watch list to see what is coming in the pipeline for workforce reduction possibilities. So stayed tuned on my X for even more - @TheJobChick

$1 Trillion of market cap could be gone tomorrow.

𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆: AT&T, Nucor

𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆: Starbucks, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Royal Caribbean Group, Kimberly-Clark, General Motors, RTX, Synchrony Financial

𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆: ServiceNow, International Business Machines, Meta Platforms, Lam Research, Western Digital, Tesla, Microsoft, Hess, Corning, T-Mobile, Norfolk Southern, Raymond James Financial, Automatic Data Processing

𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆: Baker Hughes, Apple, Visa, Deckers Outdoor, Intel, PPG Industries, KLA, Sherwin-Williams, Altria Group, Comcast, Southwest Airlines, Quest Diagnostics, Valero Energy, PulteGroup, Caterpillar, United Parcel Service, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Tractor Supply, Northrop Grumman, Mastercard, Blackstone, L3Harris Technologies

𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆: Phillips 66, Colgate-Palmolive, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, AbbVie

It’s gonna be a long week.

🇺🇸 U.S. economic data on deck:

• New Home Sales (Mon.)

• Consumer Confidence (Tues.)

• Fed Rate Decision (Wed.)

• Q4 GDP (Thurs.)

• Jobless Claims (Thurs.)

• Pending Home Sales (Thurs.)

• Core PCE Inflation (Fri.)

• Employment Cost Index (Fri.)

• Chicago PMI (Fri.)

I'll bring you the latest for the job market and how it will affect you and your job search. Have specific questions on certain companies - ASK ME and I may include it in my report.

Also- More coming on this:

Is SaaS dead? Let’s just say I think a lot of VCs will be left holding the bag. Many startups that bet on SaaS won’t pivot fast or hard enough to survive. Satya Nadella said it best: AI agents will do the work FOR us. No more logging in, navigating menus, or juggling 50 apps.

SaaS layoffs are also increasing. Even SaaS sales peeps are struggling to find new roles in the leaner operations. Money is also not the same as it was because it is moving more performance based.

And more on the new fangled Black Swan, Deepseek that came out last year. I checked it out early in January, but didn’t pay too much attention until last week. Seems to have been the ONLY thing being talked about this weekend. Major game changer for AI. This also seems to be ready to compound the stock market and all the economic data this week- especially if your name is NVIDIA. Sweet Jesus is the stock market scared of Deepseek too. Watching the pre market and futures tonight- BLOODBATH! But also- it’s been in the works. I just totally didn’t have the stock market crashing based on an AI from China be launched out of the blue and taking the market by storm. I mean it is the #1 TOP downloaded app now!

But back to Nvidia and what is happening there…

Jensen Huang did say that physical AI was the next Trillion industry... and he said it more than once at CES. And just like that... so much about Nvidia, Deepseek and more comes into focus. If you haven't watched the keynote- it was amazing to be there in person for this- watch it. https://

=gqIiGZu__JgY7UMb

With all that said- I have been fairly vocal on Nvidia this weekend incase you missed it.

Nvidia Insiders sold 1,108,348 shares worth $146.51 million over the last three months. Small fry for the valuation of course… but selling to capitalize on over valued stock? Perhaps. With the buybacks and 8% trade options this seems less for personal liquidity needs and more strategy.

So yeah… Can we talk about Nvidia buybacks and jobs?

Last August Nvidia announced a $50 billion stock buyback plan as part of its fiscal second-quarter earnings report. Not to mention the current 8% option trade discount to firm it all up.

Think GE in the 2010's, ultimately having to divest key assets and saw its stock drop significantly.

You also have Boeing 2013 to 2019, they spent $43 billion on stock buybacks - we know where that took them. Many CEOs prioritize short-term stock gains - through buybacks and cost cuts to boost company comp - which let's face it in many cases, actually hurts long-term company stability.

What the hell does this have to do with the labor market Amanda?

GE and Boeing’s layoffs happened as a result of their short-term focus. Read between the lines ya'll... My forecast is that Nvidia reductions are coming August/September... Not totally set in stone- but so far that is my thought. Rubin enters the chat. Yes, I just said that. Bold? Maybe. More to come.

Nvidia STOCK Price Pre market Jan 27th 2025

Bubblicious? Yeah...

So on to the CEO salary issue: The thing here is that many CEOs prioritize short-term stock gains - through buybacks and cost cuts (perhaps by using H1B too) - to boost their compensation, which let's face it in many cases, actually hurts long-term company stability. (think GE in the 2010's, ultimately having to divest key assets and saw its stock drop significantly and even Boeing 2013 to 2019, they spent $43 billion on stock buybacks - we know where that took them.)

CEOS are in and out in 3-5 years these days.

It has become a cycle of immediate wins at the expense of sustainable growth for both workers and the economy.

It'll be interesting to see how leadership manages the changes in the coming years.

Will CEOs have even shorter terms? Quite possibly. And frankly, that is not a good thing.

Can you tell I'm old school? Still... it's problematic to watch this happen with some Mag 7- especially in the wake of Deepseek.

Ohhhhh and shall we talk about the MGM Layoffs? Called that one too.

MGM shakeup- layoffs and shuffles.... the data was there and I have been watching this since Nov 2024. Just look at that hiring flow. YIKES. It's super important to know which job levels have high or low attrition rates BEFORE you apply to a job. You have to know what is happening as a whole - not just surface PR stuff.

This is important for ALL candidates- not just casino/gaming/hospitality industries... You have to know WHO you are applying to. Why risk it and waste time with a ticking time 💣 ?

If you want a quick dive into some of the other casinos- check it out here: https://thejobchick.com/blog/las-vegas-casino-market-24/

I will also be interviewing The Godfather of Las Vegas this week on the crazy casino layoffs and what is REALLY happening on the strip and beyond. I’ll share that video on my YouTube and here when ready.

That’s all for right now. Gosh I didn’t even mentioned the jobless claims extensions out of Michigan yet either… Bonus newsletter out later this week as well PLUS more on all the background data on JOLTS, Jobs, Layoffs, and MORE.

Amanda, The Job Chick

Your Favorite Labor Market Nerd!

Oh and yes- I DID get out of the house this weekend - twice!

80’s Music Night, and 90’s Music Night at my FAVORITE — Red Rock Casino!

Which is your fav music??