Two of Three Job Metrics Are Improving

Publication Date: 02/20/2026 5:00 AM CST

Two of Three Job Metrics Are Improving

Publication: 02/20/2026 5:00 AM CST

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Currently, 25% say that businesses are laying off in their area, down 5 points from December of 2025.
- Conversely, a narrow plurality (29%) says businesses in their area are hiring.
- That number has been unchanged since September of 2025.
In a similar vein, 44% of voters now say it is a good time to look for a job, up 4 points from December.
- Additionally, the number of voters saying it is a bad time to look for a job (42%) is down 5 points.
Still, 61% of voters say it is at least Somewhat Difficult to find a new job if a person has been laid off. Just 28% say it is not difficult.
- Those numbers include 19% who say it is a Very Difficult time to find job, and just 9% who say it is Not At All Difficult.
- These numbers have changed little since March 2025.
- In September of 2024, just 45% of voters said it was a difficult time to find a job, and another 45% disagreed.
On all of these questions, Republicans, as the party in power, are significantly more optimistic than Democrats.
- In our 4-Way Choice question, voters who prefer Trump-like policies are the most optimistic, while Traditional Republicans are more muted in their response.
See Scott discuss the Economy and jobs numbers here in his Morning Briefing.

This data is from a Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters conducted online by Scott Rasmussen, February 17-18 2026. RMG Research, Inc., conducted the field work for the survey. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1.