Shark Tank’s Daymond John on how workers can stay ahead of a changing job market

Disney (DIS) “Shark Tank” star Daymond John has a blunt warning for American workers: The job market is changing faster than people realize — and those who don’t adapt will be left behind.

At Yahoo Finance’s Invest event on Thursday, the FUBU founder and “Shark Tank” investor said he’s hearing real pressure from the entrepreneurs and small-business owners he works with daily.

“If you’re struggling, understand that most jobs are going to go away,” John said. “The trade business is going to rise … Invest in that education if you can.”

While the US labor market has remained remarkably resilient over the past few years, private data collected during the government shutdown shows a clearer slowdown taking shape, particularly for smaller firms.

According to private payroll processor ADP, private-sector employment rose just 42,000 in October, after a 29,000 decline in September. Hiring has been “positive but concentrated in a narrow set of industries,” Oxford Economics said in a note to clients this week, with small businesses, which account for more than 40% of total employment, struggling the most.

On top of weaker hiring, tariffs have added a new layer of pressure, driving up input costs for many small businesses that already have less pricing power and thinner margins.

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John said that’s exactly what he’s hearing across his portfolio companies, noting that many of them are absorbing those higher costs rather than risking consumer pushback.

“They’re not really raising prices because they don’t wanna pass that onto the consumer since the consumer may just not tolerate it,” he said. “They are trying to find sourcing in various different areas, but they are cutting back on their staff and people.”

That dynamic is creating an increasingly uneven labor market, with large companies faring far better than small ones. ADP data shows firms with 500 or more employees continue to add jobs at a faster pace, widening the gap between “corporate America” and “Main Street.”

Economist Mohamed El-Erian, who previously chaired former President Barack Obama’s Global Development Council, told Yahoo Finance that the pressure is increasingly visible on the bottom half of the income distribution.

Lower-income households are “near recession,” he warned, pointing to “insecurity about future income,” rising credit card debt, and concerns about AI-related layoffs.

That aligns with John’s view that workers, especially those in vulnerable industries, need to rethink their approach to competing in a slowing job market.