There is no shortage of economic datapoints that business leaders can turn to in their decision-making. Choosing which data to rely on and how to incorporate it in the strategic actions of the company is another story. Ahead of our annual Economic Trends breakfast, BizTimes asked each of our industry speakers for the event to share which economic trend or issue they are watching closely. Their responses are below:

“There is a bit of a disconnect between the low unemployment rate and the level of job movement of employees in most categories. Employee turnover in most areas has improved and there is a false sense of security that employees are engaged. As employees gain confidence in their marketability and job security, turnover in the market will likely increase. Whether the economy is great or challenging, continuing to invest in your internal employees is always the right thing to do.”

− Ryan Festerling, chief executive officer, QPS Employment Group

“In 2026, I’m watching the U.S. labor market – not just headline unemployment, but also participation rates, wage trends and the growing impact of AI-enabled productivity. While a softer jobs backdrop could ease interest rates and input costs, persistent wage pressure without matching productivity gains may squeeze margins and slow investment. For employers (including manufacturers), automation offers a path to greater output per worker, but macroeconomic stability is essential to spark demand and recovery in OpEx in the short term.”

− Christian Rothe, chief financial officer, Rockwell Automation

“Emerging technology and the audience for it is expanding rapidly. When circling the room of executives from Evans, a consistent message related to strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, AI was all of them. How our team embraces AI as a part of their everyday work life – controlled by them, not an IT department – will determine success or failure. Allowing us to maximize productivity and find what is most human about every task so we focus our efforts on those items. This is true for nearly every mid-market and large business. GDP is growing rapidly without private industry employment growth, clearly a sign of productivity gains.”

− Charles Miller, chief commercial officer, Evans Transportation

The Economic Trends breakfast was held on Jan. 22 at the Italian Community Center in Milwaukee. It featured economist Michael Knetter along with the individuals featured here. The event was made possible by sponsor BMO, partner Annex Wealth Management and venue partner The Bartolotta Restaurants.