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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

Macro

Axios Macro

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

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

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

It's a woman's economy now

A line chart showing the difference in nonfarm employment between U.S. men and women from January 1990 to February 2026. The chart shows that, historically, men were predominantly employed until 2021. As of February 2026, there are 200,000 more women employed in the U.S. than men.

Difference in nonfarm employment among U.S. men and women

Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics and Indeed Hiring Lab; Chart: Axios Visuals

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Economists, investors pitch Washington on AI-driven job loss safety net

College-educated workers think the job market is as bad as it was in 2013

College-educated workers think the job market is as bad as in 2013

A line chart that shows the share of U.S. adults saying it is a good time to find a quality job, by education, from 2001 to 2026. College grads rose from 28% to a peak of 74% in 2022, then fell to 27% in 2026. Non-college grads reached 66% in 2019 and 2022.

Share who say now is a "good time" to find a quality job, by education status

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