WSJ What’s News

The U.S. job market is a study in contradictions. While a new report shows January saw the highest level of layoffs since 2009—driven by corporate downsizing and AI integration—the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a surprising gain of 130,000 jobs. Meanwhile, recent data revisions suggest that hiring over the past two years was significantly weaker than previously thought, with workers and employers starting to question the reliability of official figures. WSJ reporters Justin Lahart and Lindsay Ellis discuss listener questions on the state of hiring, and whether the labor market is better or worse than the official data suggests.

Further Reading:

What Sweeping Revisions and a Blowout Month Tell Us About the U.S. Job Market

Job Growth Last Year Was Far Worse Than We Thought. Here’s Why.

This Is Why It’s So Hard to Find a Job Right Now

America’s Job Market Has Entered the Slow Lane

Job Hunters Are So Desperate That They’re Paying to Get Recruited

CEOs Say AI Is Making Work More Efficient. Employees Tell a Different Story.

Five Older Job Seekers Tell Us How They Broke Through a Bruising Job Market

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What do software companies, wealth-management firms and the trucking business all have in common? And why are blue-chip stocks like Walmart outperforming the market? Plus, how did a former karaoke company sink transportation stocks? Host Hannah Erin Lang discusses the biggest stock moves of the week and the news that drove them.

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P.M. Edition for Feb. 13. Annual inflation slowed to 2.4% in January, more than economists expected. WSJ chief economics commentator Greg Ip discusses how this is affecting consumers, and what it means for the Federal Reserve. Plus, it’s rare to get a granular look at a billionaire’s finances. Journal economics reporter Rachel Ensign tells us what she learned about Leon Black’s financial life from documents in the Jeffrey Epstein files. And, barring an unlikely last-minute deal, the Department of Homeland Security is expected to shut down overnight. If it lasts, it might mean longer security lines at airports. Alex Ossola hosts.

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A.M. Edition for Feb. 13. The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is being sent to the Middle East, as the Pentagon steps up plans for a potential attack on Iran. Plus, the bill comes due for Detroit after Washington’s EV u-turn. And WSJ Brussels Bureau Chief Daniel Michaels raises the curtain on the Munich Security Conference, where recent estrangement between the U.S. and its European allies is likely to be on display. Luke Vargas hosts.

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P.M. Edition for Feb. 12. Border czar Tom Homan says “Operation Metro Surge” in Minnesota is ending. WSJ immigration policy reporter Michelle Hackman discusses how the administration is wrapping up an operation that sparked outrage after the deaths of two U.S. citizens. Plus, U.S. stocks dropped today as AI worries resurfaced. And home sales fell more than 8% in January, their biggest decline in nearly four years. Alex Ossola hosts.

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