While events like these are always theoretically possible, they are the exception rather than the rule. The problem occurs when investors worry about them at the expense of long-term growth. History shows that doing so is not only unnecessary but counterproductive. For example, during the bull market from 2009 to 2020, investors constantly worried about another financial crisis. Staying invested in a diversified portfolio built to withstand market uncertainty would have been the much better approach.

Instead, a more useful definition of “recession” is simply a temporary decline in economic activity. Prior to the 1990s, there were many short recessions that occurred on a regular basis. These were nothing more than periods Businesses continue to hire at a rapid pace Sources: Clearnomics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2 What the Strong Job Market Means for Recession Risk of adjustment that reallocated resources within the economy. While there is a real consequence to individuals and businesses, these periods are necessary to move precious economic resources and capital away from unproductive areas to where they can be most valuable. In other words, recessions are a natural part of the business cycle and help sow the seeds of future growth.

Today, an important consideration is that the economy did shrink in the first quarter by 1.5% compared to the end of last year, based on official measures of gross domestic product. Thus, it’s possible for there to be a “technical recession” – that is, two consecutive negative quarters. However, a slowing of the economy, and possibly shrinking by a percent or two, is far different from what many consider to be a recession. Additionally, many other measures of the economy suggest that consumers and businesses are still doing quite well, despite rising prices. The National Bureau of Economic Research, the official organization that determines recession dates, looks at a variety of economic factors and not just at GDP. Specifically, last month’s jobs report showed that the economy added 390,000 new jobs in May, exceeding what economists had expected. In total, more than 95% of the jobs lost during the pandemic downturn have been recovered, including in hard-hit industries leisure and hospitality. This monthly gain is also well above the historical average of 148,000 per month over the past ten years. This has kept unemployment at 3.6%, one of the lowest levels in history, and near prepandemic lows.

The data also show that businesses continue to hire too. Job openings still far outpace available workers by 5.5 million, a historic level. The problem is not whether businesses want to hire – it’s whether they can find qualified workers. Individuals are also quitting their jobs at an above-average pace, a sign that the “great resignation” is continuing. While all of this could change if inflation deeply impacts sales and profits, there are also signs that businesses are successfully passing costs onto customers and sharing gains with workers. Hourly wages of production workers rose 6.5% on a year-over-year basis in May, one of the largest gains on record. All told, workers and the average consumer are in a strong position. Thus, the trends suggest that a deep economic downturn is not inevitable. Even were a recession to occur, it could look very different from those of the past twenty years.