Official Unemployment Is 4.1%. A Rival Measure Puts It Near 25%
LISEP's alternative measure puts U.S. functional unemployment at 24.9% in July, far above the 4.1% official rate, as payrolls and wages fall short.
Business Sub-category
Jobs
Critical reporting on employment market trends, the future of remote work, corporate talent acquisition, labor economics, and workplace culture. We explore career development and economic labor shifts.
Could AI Create a "Permanent Underclass"? What the Data Actually Shows
Stanford payroll data show AI-exposed 22-25 year-olds losing jobs at 3.8% a year, while wages diverge by income. What that means for a 'permanent underclass.'
Asia’s Youth Job Squeeze: Inside China’s Record Graduate Influx and Vietnam’s AI Skills Gap
China's record 12.7 million graduates face a 15.6% youth jobless rate as AI reshapes hiring; Vietnam shows the same skills-gap pattern at smaller scale.
The 4.2% Unemployment Rate Is Hiding a Grimmer Labor Market — And I'm Living Proof
U.S. unemployment fell to 4.2% in June 2026, but a 720,000-person labor force exodus — not hiring — drove the drop. Here's what the real number is, and why it matters for tech.
How AI Layoffs Can Trigger an Economic Spiral
A source-grounded explainer on how AI-driven displacement creates a self-reinforcing demand contraction — and what policy interventions are being proposed as circuit-breakers.