According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, cashiers, office clerks, and customer service representatives face the largest potential workforce elimination by 2034.

The US jobs projected to shrink the fastest over the next decade include typists and word processors.

Generative AI may automate nearly 10% of tasks in the US economy.

The most common job in each US state in 2024

In 15 states, the most common job by number of employees is "fast food worker." Other most common jobs include cashiers and nurses.

Only 14% of transactions are in cash, as of 2025

Credit (35%) and debit (30%) cards have long eclipsed cash as the primary method of payment in the US. It is a primary backup, however, with 90% of customers intending to use cash to pay or store value and 80% carrying cash.

How to financially prepare if you think AI is coming for your job

One expert suggests contributing more money to an emergency savings fund and putting that fund in a high-yield savings account, maxing out employee benefits while still employed, and more.

Customers wrote just one check a year in 2024, on average

Major retailers like Target have stopped accepting checks in recent years as real-time payment systems are increasingly being implemented across the US. This shift is considered an improvement in safety—as checks are vulnerable to fraud—but can lead to some exclusion for those without access to digital devices.

When your 9-to-5 becomes optional

You've seen the headlines. But what would actually happen if everyone's 9-to-5 became optional? We dug into the data. Traced automation philosophy back thousands of years. Examined what happened when elevator operators disappeared. Looked at Alaska's 40-year experiment paying every citizen. And investigated the Philippines, where 89% of call center jobs are now at risk. What we found was more positive than bleak. This video explores three questions: What does the data actually show? What does history tell us about this kind of disruption? And what happens when work becomes optional?

Most common jobs in the US

Most US government organizations list roughly 500 primary occupations that most Americans fall into, such as teachers and cashiers. Using data from the 2018 through 2022 American Community Survey, these graphics break down the most common jobs in the US by age, gender, and more. See the graphics here.

How AI is revolutionizing banking

Generative artificial intelligence has left no industry untouched, and banking isn’t an exception. Experts estimate that gen AI could add as much as $340B in value to the banking sector each year. For consumers, this involves new features to prevent fraud and customer service chatbots. This report dives into the revolution underway and seeks to define a “full stack” AI bank of the future. Read more here.

It's unlikely that we will ever live in a completely cashless world

Although countries like China are moving toward a cashless system, many other countries still rely on physical money for everyday transactions. This article dives into the future of currency and includes a map of the percentage of adults who do cashless transactions around the world.

Artificial intelligence might make companies too efficient—which could trigger deflation

AI innovation will likely decrease costs for companies and lead to a large increase in supply. That dramatic increase could conceivably bring prices down but keep supply high. However, AI's real impact will likely be complicated by its impact on human labor and the cost of new technology.

China is making a deliberate push towards becoming a cashless society, making digital payment services like Tencent's WeBank even more valuable.

Experts recommend preparing your finances accordingly if you're expecting to be laid off soon, taking actions such as looking into the cost of replacing employer-sponsored benefits like healthcare.

Paper check usage is down 83% over 25 years

At the start of the millennium, more than 68 million checks were processed daily. Amid the adoption of automated clearinghouse (ACH) payment systems, that number has sunk to 12 million a day.

Listen to legendary investor Marc Andreessen argue against the 'lump of labor fallacy,' the idea that there's a finite amount of work in an economy.

AI investment may be the next major economic bubble

A video examines the massive surge in AI spending—forecast to hit $500B by 2026—and how this may be propping up a fragile US economy. Experts warn that if AI investment slows or under-delivers, the consequences could be felt in markets, jobs and growth.

Over 1.9 million Americans—more than a quarter of those unemployed—have been classified as 'long-term' unemployed in a given month in 2026, meaning they've been out of work for at least 27 weeks.

The US youth unemployment rate jumped from 6.6% in 2023 to 10.4% in 2025.

Fintech companies made it easier for merchants to request tips, leading to fatigue

In recent years, companies such as Square and Toast have created touch screen technologies prompting customers at coffee shops and casual restaurants to tip upwards of 25%. Despite the interesting psychological conundrum this presents to consumers, one tech columnist argues that shoppers don’t need to succumb to the pressure.

Nearly 9 in 10 Americans were annoyed by tipping as of 2025

That’s a sharp increase from the 75% who thought tipping culture had gone too far in 2024. One potential culprit? The proliferation of tipping screens in places outside sit-down restaurants, such as coffee shops and hair salon. Three in 10 Americans say they give less when presented with tipping screens.

Consumers will use digital payment processing for nearly $40T in spending by 2028

That's just one signal of the industry's massive growth. Investments in the global fintech industry have grown from $4B in 2010 to $92.3B in 2021, as both businesses and consumers seem to quickly adopt new fintech products, from digital payment apps to robo-advisers.

As of 2026, almost 90% of companies use AI in their hiring processes to cut hiring time by up to 50%, including using AI-based tools to filter 75% of resumes.

Multiple junior Bank of America employees have died on the job

Intern Moritz Erhardt died of epilepsy in 2013, after working through nights, and associate Leo Lukenas III died in 2024, from a blood clot after working more than 100 hours per week.

Paper coupon suppliers and major newspaper insert distributors are in decline

Given the uptick in digital coupon adoption, sellers who offered coupon inserts or individual coupons for sale online have been closing up shop in recent years.

See which college degrees had the highest unemployment rates as of May 2025, with degrees in anthropology, physics, and computer engineering ranking high on the list.

The Anthropic Economic Index shows AI adoption is highest in computer science roles.

AI could be increasing the opportunities for financial fraud

Systems that can reproduce near perfect counterfeits of legitimate financial documents are increasingly prevalent and sophisticated. The international Association of Certified Fraud Examiners estimate organizations lose about 5% of revenue to fraud each year.

Is there a shortage of air traffic controllers?

In 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration employed more than 14,000 air traffic controllers—crucial workers who direct traffic in and out of airports and around legal airspace. However, due to long training programs and the pandemic's aftereffects, as of 2023, nearly half of the agency's 290 facilities are understaffed. The agency has attempted to shift its hiring direction to increase its numbers.

Fintech relies on technology, not physical location, to serve financial customers

Most of the industry's prominent players were created since 2010, and are still in a growth phase. These institutions have broadly disrupted traditional banking and have pushed physical banking locations toward obsolescence.

ATMs drastically expanded access to checking accounts in the 1960s

The invention disrupted the local bank industry, allowing customers to access cash around the clock and when out of town. The innovation also reduced the headcount needed for bank services and created a new revenue stream via ATM fees for noncustomers. This 50-year anniversary retrospective revisits the cash kiosk.

In 2023, the US money supply fell at its fastest rate since the 1930s

The money supply tracks how much cash, as well as electronic funds like savings accounts, is circulating through the economy. And a downward turn can be a bad sign.

The next technology epoch is here

From ChatGPT to DALL-E, 2022 saw the mainstream emergence of artificial intelligence for consumer use. Here's how these platforms will disrupt today's five biggest tech companies—Apple, Amazon, Meta, Google, and Microsoft.

Near-universal banking masks a large underbanked shadow system

FDIC data indicates 128 million households have a checking account, the vast majority (96% in 2024). But more than 14% of households are underbanked, meaning they have accounts but also rely on nonbank services such as check cashing, payday loans, or prepaid cards.

AI may help the 1.4 billion people worldwide who lack access to basic financial services

Artificial intelligence is fuelling a financial technology transformation in some countries where an outsized number of residents lack access to basic financial services, including Brazil and Nigeria.