Author: Marketplace

The September hiring and unemployment data won't be released today due to the ongoing government shutdown. These reports are typically among the five most closely watched economic indicators each month. Economist Julia Coronado of Macropolicy Perspectives joins us to discuss. Also on the show: the shutdown's impact on health care — from canceled online doctor's appointments to reduced home health services for seniors. And later, Marketplace's David Brancaccio speaks with a former high school guidance counselor in Sheboygan, WI about how students are preparing to enter the labor market.

The partial government shutdown now means two of the top five most important readouts on the economy will not be released on Friday, as scheduled. It's the newest count of the number of people on payrolls and the separate unemployment rate. Later, David speaks with "Marketplace" senior economics contributor Chris Farrell about new research suggesting there may be even more entrepreneurs in the U.S. than current data suggests.

From the BBC World Service: Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party will choose a new leader on Saturday, and he or she will become the country's next prime minister. Germany's Munich Airport closed temporarily overnight due to drone sightings, making it the latest European airport forced to halt operations because of unexplained drone flights. And the French government has launched a campaign against what the Minister of Work calls “the last discrimination”: ageism.

California passed a sweeping law setting up new AI safety rules this week. Meanwhile, YouTube settled a lawsuit brought by President Trump over account suspensions in the wake of the January 6 capitol riot. And an AI-generated “actor” stirred up controversy in Hollywood and pretty much everywhere else.

Marketplace’s Nova Safo spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, to learn more about all these stories on this week’s Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.

The U.S. is on track for the largest number of announced layoffs since 2020. Yay us! (Kidding.) We can thank a combination of federal cuts and their ripple effects, an uncertain trade environment, and AI experimentation. After that, Jenny Han of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” tells Kai about her career journey from nanny and school librarian to novelist and Amazon Prime showrunner. Plus: recession indicators, a federally-backed lithium mine and industrial outdoor storage.

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Messy fights over funding the federal government have become all too familiar in American politics. Why are we like this? On the show today, The Brookings Institution’s Molly Reynolds joins Kimberly to explain how shutdowns became Congress’ political weapon of choice and why the federal budget process has gotten even more complicated under the Trump administration. Plus, we hear from you, our dear listeners.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Congress has long struggled to pass spending bills on time" from Pew Research Center
• "Government shutdown continues as Senate Democrats hold firm on health care demands" from AP News
• "How John Thune sees the shutdown ending" from Politico

• "What are Democrats' demands in the government shutdown fight?" from Marketplace

  
  

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Federal worker layoffs are near, according to Trump administration officials. Earlier this week, the president said he would use the government shutdown to target "Democrat things." And a shutdown with layoffs may have more serious economic consequences than your average shutdown. For more on that we turn to Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG. Also on today's show: China launches a new visa to attract more international STEM talent.

Unemployment remains relatively low, but the labor market is slowing down. Private payroll company ADP estimates the private sector lost 32,000 jobs last month. Hiring has slowed, and it's taking longer for jobseekers to find work. And where there are people with anxiety and fear, there are scammers to prey on them. The Federal Trade Commission says reports of job scams tripled over the past four years. But first, why the Trump administration is sending memos to universities and what Democrats are demanding to reopen the government.

From the BBC World Service: Some European Union countries have backed plans for the new defense system to keep out unmanned aircraft from Russia. But how will it work, and what's the price tag? In France hundreds of thousands of workers have walked out over looming budget cuts and pension reforms. Today marks the 75th anniversary of The Turing Test, to tell the difference between a human and a machine. And we hear how Chilean businesses are adapting — or not — to an ageing workforce.

So far this year, LA defense tech companies have raised $4 billion in funding — more than double last year's haul, according to Los Angeles Times tech reporter Queenie Wong. She told Marketplace’s Nova Safo that venture capital firms are increasingly embracing military-focused tech.