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? <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/newsletters">Subscribe</a> to our daily or weekly newsletter. Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/">marketplace.org</a> — and consider <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/make-a-smart-investment">making an investment</a> in our future. Read the stories in today’s episode: <ul><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/10/08/a-frozen-job-market-means-no-layoffs-and-no-new-hires" class="default">A frozen job market means nobody's getting laid off, but nobody's getting hired</a></li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/10/08/at-this-san-francisco-picnic-people-share-their-ai-anxieties" class="default">Only in San Francisco: A picnic to discuss AI risk</a></li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/10/08/how-to-get-the-federal-reserve-balance-sheet-just-right" class="default">Not too big, not too small: The just-right Fed balance sheet</a></li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/10/08/will-home-heating-costs-go-up-this-winter" class="default">Here's where home heating will cost more this winter</a></li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/10/08/the-two-reasons-americans-are-saving-less" class="default">Americans are saving less money — some can't afford to, others are focused on investing</a></li><li><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/10/08/preserving-family-history-during-retirement" class="default">Using retirement to finally dig into family history</a></li></ul>

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