‎What does the verb ending 는 데요 mean ?

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First of all, the ending '-데' has several meanings. You need to know usage of '-데' first because '-데요' is basically polite form of '-데'.

1. '-데' is used to say speaker's own experience as a sentence-closing ending.
ex) 참 취업하기가 힘들데. (informal & casual style)
--> 참 취업하기가 힘들데요. (informal & polite style)
= To get a job was really hard to me

cf) '-대' is used for hearsay.
"참 취업하기가 힘들대." means "I heard that to get a job is really hard"

2. '-ㄴ데' is used to connect two sentences as connective ending.
ex) 취업하기도 참 힘든데 물가까지 오른다.
= To get a job is really hard. Moreover the price goes up.
In this case '-요' is an auxiliary particle for politeness and pause, not a sentence closing ending. So it is nothing to do with formality.
ex) 취업하기도 참 힘든데요, 물가까지 올라요. (informal & polite style)
취업하기도 참 힘든데요, 물가까지 오릅니다. (formal & polite style)

3. '-ㄴ데' is used for an exclamation as a sentence-closing ending.
ex) 와 취업하기가 참 힘든데! (informal & casual style)
--> 와 취업하기가 참 힘든데요! (informal & polite style)
= Wow, how hard it is to get a job!