Marketplace All-in-One

First-time unemployment claims (layoffs, basically) have come in below 200,000 for four weeks running — the longest stretch since 1969. At the same time, the economy only barely added jobs in September. Few layoffs, barely any new jobs, and it makes ya start to wonder, just how petrified can this labor market get? Also in this episode: AI doomers touch grass at a monthly Bay Area picnic, the personal savings rate ebbs to a 4-year low, and Kai explains central bankers’ balance sheet agita.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Read the stories in today’s episode:

A frozen job market means nobody's getting laid off, but nobody's getting hired
Only in San Francisco: A picnic to discuss AI risk
Not too big, not too small: The just-right Fed balance sheet
Here's where home heating will cost more this winter
Americans are saving less money — some can't afford to, others are focused on investing
Using retirement to finally dig into family history

There's been a lot of mixed data coming out about how AI is affecting the labor market. An analysis by writer and economist Joey Politano found that the U.S. has lost more than 200,000 creative sector jobs over the last four years. But just how much can we blame AI? Plus, we continue our conversation with WUSF reporter Jessica Meszaros about the high cost of energy bills in Florida.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace Morning Report is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Stories from this episode:

The cost of power in Florida

Energy bills in Florida have jumped by as much as 70% over the past 10 years, according to reporting by WUSF reporter Jessica Meszaros. This morning, we'll help explain why that is and discuss rate hikes by investor-owned utility companies, the role of government-appointed approval commissions, and whether there are any alternatives. But first, a snapshot of consumers' expectations for the future of the economy shows that it's a mixed bag.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace Morning Report is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Stories in this episode:

Consumers are expecting more inflation alongside a stronger job market
The cost of power in Florida

It started when Kalie Robins posted an Instagram video with her kid. Meta's built in AI chatbot, Muse, started prompting her to ask questions about her daughters and personal life, which sent her down a social-media-privacy rabbit hole.

Robins took to her feed — at the time, with only a few hundred followers — to share her experience. “It starts pulling completely separate information for each of my kids: their names, birth information, pictures and videos of them. And then it says, ‘pinpointing Kalie Robbins' location,’” she said in her now viral video.

Meta responded to the incident saying it “missed the mark” and has fixed the issue that prompted those questions.

But Robins says she's now been catapulted into the AI privacy discourse. And it's pretty uncomfortable.

More on this:

Mother Horrified When Meta’s AI Scours Instagram and Facebook for Invasive Information About Her Young Daughters — from Futurism

Meta’s Muse AI Agent Is Building a Dossier On You — from Time

Are you more likely to buy some spicy mayo because it’s made by a blockbuster star? What about pet food or a mobile network? It used to be that you’d just buy a ticket to your favorite actor’s movie or your favorite singer’s concert, but as more celebrities cash in on their fame with product endorsements and brand extensions, what does that do to us and our relationship with celebrity culture? And how does that impact the way that we spend money on our favorite stars? Guest host Alice Wilder talks to Lindsey Weber and Bobby Finger, hosts of the pop culture podcast “Who? Weekly,” about the changing relationship between celebrities and consumers. Plus, which nepo babies are worth the hype?

This Is Uncomfortable is nominated for a Signal Award! We’re up for Best Show in the Money & Finance category, and now we need your help to win. Vote by October 15: vote.signalaward.com

Support public media with a donation today: https://mktplc.org/support-thisisuncomfortable

If you like this episode, share it with a friend! And let us know what you think by calling 347-RING-TIU or emailing uncomfortable@marketplace.org

If you want to answer our “Uncomfortable Questions” see more info here.

Follow us on Instagram and Tiktok!