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America's yo-yo job market

A column chart that shows monthly changes in U.S. nonfarm payrolls from March 2025 to March 2026. Payrolls rose 120,000 in March 2025, fell as low as minus 140,000 in October, and reached a high of 178,000 in March 2026. Gains and losses alternate through most months.

Change in U.S. nonfarm payrolls

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

U.S. economy adds stronger-than-expected 178,000 jobs in March

A column chart that shows monthly changes in U.S. nonfarm payrolls from June 2025 to March 2026. Payrolls ranged from minus 140,000 in October 2025 to 178,000 in March 2026. The series alternates between gains and losses, with stronger gains in early 2026.

Communicators

Axios Communicators

MIT study challenges AI job apocalypse narrative

Office vacancies hit record high

A line chart that tracks the U.S. office vacancy rate quarterly from Q1 2016 to Q1 2026. Vacancy held near 16.2% to 16.8% through 2019, then climbed from 17% in Q1 2020 to 21% in Q1 2026, the series high.

U.S. office vacancy rate

Data: Moody's Analytics REIS; Note: Based on rates in 79 markets; Chart: Emily Peck/Axios

AI is making college students change majors

A bar chart that shows the share of college students who changed majors because of AI,
 according to an October 2025 survey. Rates range from 9% in healthcare and natural sciences to 26% in vocational fields.

Share of students who changed their studies due to AI

Data: Lumina Foundation-Gallup; Note: Due to rounding, percentages may sum to 100% ±1 percentage point; Chart: Avery Lotz/Axios

The American consumer stands firm

A column chart that shows monthly U.S. retail sales changes from February 2025 to February 2026. Sales rose as much as 1.4% in March 2025 and fell as much as 0.9% in May 2025. After midyear gains, changes were modest, ending with an 0.6% increase in February 2026.

Change in U.S. retail sales

Data: Census Bureau; Chart: Neil Irwin/Axios

The surprise winners of Trump's immigration wars

Hiring rate slowed before the Iran war

A line chart that shows the U.S. hiring rate monthly from December 2006 to February 2026. Hiring fell from about 3.8% in late 2006 to a low of 2.8% in June 2009, surged to 6.1% in May 2020, then eased to 3.1% by February 2026.

U.S. hiring rate

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

Media Trends

Axios Media Trends

Meta's efficiency skyrockets, but Wall Street still wary

A bar chart that shows Metaâs annual revenue per employee from 2016 to 2025. Revenue per employee ranged from $1.39 million in 2022 to $2.58 million in 2025. It rose from $1.82 million in 2016, dipped in 2022, then climbed for three straight years.

Meta annual revenue per employee

Data: Company reports; Chart: Sara Fischer/Axios

Exclusive: What U.S. homeowners do for a living

A table shows the U.S. homeownership rate for various occupations in 2024 and 2014. Management and business leads at 72%, unchanged from 2014. Teachers and social service professionals follow at 67%, down from 68%. STEM and technical professionals fell to 67% from 69%. Service workers, while still having the lowest homeownership rate, saw the highest jump since 2014, rising to 46% from 43%.

U.S. homeownership rate, by occupation

Data: National Association of Realtors analysis of Census Bureau data; Chart: Sami Sparber/Axios

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