Rachel Lerman

There's so little hiring that Americans who voluntarily quit their jobs each month, people entering the workforce or those who are laid off face longer odds than they did a few years ago.

Jobs can feel precarious right now as well-known companies keep slashing workers. The latest is Meta, which promised it would cut jobs this month and on Wednesday sent layoff notices to about 10 percent of its staff, nearly 8,000 people, according to news reports.Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. Like some other technology companies, Meta has attributed the layoffs partly to the effects of artificial intelligence. They

Americans are still spending money. But concerns about the economy are piling up.

Rachel Lerman | Washington Post Americans are still spending money so strongly it's steering the economy through surging inflation, but

Americans are still spending money so strongly it’s steering the economy through inflation, but rising prices are starting to take a toll on savings accounts and summer vacation plans. While gas prices have surged since the Iran war began, raising costs for groceries and transportation, tax refunds and stock market gains have been helping buffer the pain for some Americans who are still spending. Although, many Americans are reducing how much money they are saving, data shows.Subscribe to The Po

Americans are still spending money so strongly it's steering the economy through inflation, but rising prices are starting to take a toll on savings accounts and summer vacation plans.

Since the Iran war began in February, gas prices have surged, eating into Americans' budgets. That extra fuel money could’ve bought 19 dozen eggs or 72 sodas.

Luis Melgar and Rachel Lerman, (c) 2026 , The Washington Post 2 min read Surging gas prices have pushed Americans to dig deeper into their wallets, skip purchases and pull back on savings.

Americans may not be happy with the economy, but they are still spending money at strong levels, despite prices rising at the fastest rate in three years.

Consumer spending in May remains strong despite quickly rising prices.