Up First from NPR Growing Black Unemployment, Taxing California Billionaires, New Supreme Court Cases
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Oct 3, 2026 
Economist Betsy Stevenson, a University of Michigan professor and former Obama adviser, examines sluggish hiring, rising Black unemployment, healthcare-led job growth and affordability. KQED correspondent Marisa Lagos explores California’s proposed one-time billionaire wealth tax and its Democratic fault lines. NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson previews Supreme Court battles over climate accountability, AR-15 bans, religious schools, immigration and more.
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Why A Low-Hire Market Suppresses Wages
- The labor market is low-hire and low-fire, protecting current workers while blocking job seekers and limiting wage growth.
- Workers gain their biggest raises by changing jobs, but fewer openings make switching riskier and wages trail inflation.
Healthcare Drives Job Growth While AI Drives GDP
- Women received nearly all recent job growth because healthcare drives hiring and employs mostly women.
- Healthcare has become the labor market’s job-growth engine, even as AI drives economic output without creating comparable employment.
Why Black Workers Feel A Weak Market First
- Black unemployment jumped a full percentage point, reflecting greater volatility and a weak market that excludes workers trying to enter or advance.
- Fewer people quit because they fear replacement will be difficult, depressing wages and creating a vicious cycle.