The 2026 labor market is one of the most psychologically complex white-collar markets we’ve experienced in decades. Behind the scenes, both employers and employees are hesitating. This creates something far more unsettling than crisis: Stagnation.

Hiring is not a test of endurance. It’s a test of judgment. The moment exhaustion outweighs evidence, hiring stops being a strategy and becomes a liability. Ethical hiring cannot be sustained on exhaustion.