Marketplace The job market won't start fresh in 2026
12 snips
Dec 24, 2025 Alice Wilder, a Marketplace reporter focused on cost-of-living and food insecurity, dives into the complexities of today’s job market. She shares insights on mixed employment data and how rising unemployment disparities affect vulnerable groups. In an engaging segment, Wilder introduces TikTok creator Kiki Ruff, who promotes budget cooking with her ‘recession recipes.’ They discuss the challenges of grocery budgeting and how Ruff's creative cooking methods emerged from personal hardship. Their uplifting conversation explores the delicate balance between financial uncertainty and culinary creativity.
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Racial Gaps In Unemployment
- The overall unemployment rate conceals sharp racial gaps: whites at 3.9% versus Black workers at 8.3%.
- If the Black unemployment rate were the national rate, we'd consider the economy to be in deep recession.
Job Growth Has Stalled
- Job creation stalled from April through November with effectively no net employment growth.
- Businesses and employees are cautious, which dampens hiring and economic momentum into 2026.
AI Spending Powers GDP Growth
- Big tech poured roughly $400 billion into AI data centers in 2025, driving strong investment despite tariffs.
- Tariffs have cost tech billions but likely won't halt the trillions planned for AI infrastructure.
