National

Macro

Axios Macro

The World Cup's hiring head fake

Jobs report gives labor market a yellow card

Jobs report shows weaker-than-expected hiring in June

A column chart that shows monthly changes in U.S. nonfarm payrolls from June 2025 to June 2026. Payrolls ranged from minus 156,000 in February 2026 to 214,000 in March 2026. Gains turned positive in four of the final five months, ending at 57,000 in June 2026.

Change in U.S. nonfarm payrolls

Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics; Chart: Courtenay Brown/Axios

The U.S. is one of only 9 countries without guaranteed vacation time

A world map shows guaranteed paid vacation time for workers. A majority of countries guarantee 20 or more days of vacation for workers annually. 77 more countries guarantee 5-19 days annually. Only nine countries don't guarantee any leave, most prominently the U.S.

Guaranteed paid vacation for workers, 2026

Data: Equal Futures; Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

The economic assumptions that broke

New job openings data shows "steady-as-she-goes" labor market

A line chart that shows monthly U.S. job openings from December 2000 to May 2026. Openings fell to a low of 2.232 million in July 2009, climbed to a peak of 12.301 million in March 2022, then eased to 7.594 million in May 2026.

U.S. job openings

Fed's Warsh, jobs report, and more econ data on tap this week

Remote work continues to thrive

A bar chart indicating where U.S. workers (ages 15 and older) spent their average workday in 2025. Overall, 70% of workers were at the workplace, while 35% worked from home. 72% of men spent their average workday at a workplace outside their home, compared to 67% of women. Educational attainment influenced location: 95% of those with less than a high school education worked in the workplace, compared to only 54% of those with advanced degrees.

Where U.S. workers spent the average workday

Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios

Closer

Axios Closer

Volkswagen is expected to cut 100,000 jobs in landmark downsizing

Why Americans hate the "good" economy

A line chart that shows the U.S. city average price per pound of ground beef each month from May 2016 to May 2026. Prices rose from $3.72 in May 2016 to $6.75 in May 2026, peaking at $6.90 in April 2026 after a sharp jump in 2020.

Price per pound of ground beef

Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics; Chart: Neil Irwin/Axios

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The developments that matter in where and how much people are working.