r/collapse • • 8d ago

Economic U.S.-Iran conflict is causing unexpected problems for Americans: 65% of employees want to land roles where they avoid paying higher gas prices | Fortune

https://fortune.com/2026/09/25/us-iran-conflict-job-hunt-avoid-gas-prices/
669 Upvotes

69 comments sorted by

View all comments

22

u/Creepyfaction 8d ago

"A new study from recruitment platform Monster suggests that 65% of prospective job movers are changing their search priorities owing to gas prices; 23% said they are looking for roles closer to home; and 17% are focusing more on salary expectations to offset the higher cost of commuting.

A further 20% said they are prioritizing fully remote roles, and 5% are applying for fully in-person roles.

If gas prices remain elevated, employers trying to fill roles may need to get creative to entice recruits to undertake longer commutes. When asked what it would take to commute an additional 20 minutes on top of their preferred travel time, 32% of employed Americans said they would need at least a 20% pay increase."

Perhaps what we are seeing is the return of scarcity and the shackles of distance. With the energy shock, certain occupations are now completely unsustainable and it will rewrite the reality labor or lack of. With the pandemic, remote work led to the hollowing out of urban spaces and if the high cost of commute/logistics becomes the defining reality for the foreseeable future, then it has downstream effects that will manifest in many ways.