When I look over their shoulders, I see that more than half the time they're reading the classified ads. And specifically the job listings. In itself, this universal quest for work tells me something important because it doesn't seem to matter whether I'm in a big city or a rural town, everyone is doing it.

The economy may be good, or it may be not so good. I tend to ignore what the politicians and news say, and look at both my own situation and the people around me. And without trying to comment on the situation myself, my observation tells me that people are either looking to better their situations, or afraid that their situations may deteriorate if their current employment ends.

But I also think that the search for a job is a pretty constant thing. I don't work for any one company, so I'm pretty much always looking for work. But even folks who have been employed by a single company for a while seem to look, if only out of curiosity.