The Federal Reserve Bank of New York says artificial intelligence is not the main driver of the US hiring slowdown. Its research lands as recruiters plan more AI screening and blue-collar data center work surges. Neither story fits the simple narrative of an AI jobs apocalypse.
Austria will let households and companies trade self-generated electricity directly from Oct 5, under rules that take effect on Oct 1, according to pv magazine, which reported the framework on 28 September.
AI is hiring welders, electricians and pipefitters for data centre buildouts in the US, but state and local pushback could slow that demand, CNBC reported on 26 September. Separate data shows recent graduates still face an unemployment rate of 5.7%.
ASML sold no lithography equipment in Europe in the first half of 2026, the company's executive vice president for public affairs said on 25 September, as Europe's energy-intensive industries face rising costs and shrinking demand at home.
The newest US labour data on AI and jobs landed on 25 September, and it complicates the story: the New York Fed says AI is not the main driver of the hiring slowdown, while employer surveys point to retraining rather than cuts.
China's Zhejiang province published rules on 23 September letting independent grid-side batteries trade in its electricity spot market, covering 40 projects totalling 2.54 GW/5.1 GWh, according to pv magazine.
The US Department of Transportation finalized new fuel economy standards on 28 September. Officials at the Department of Energy say the move will raise US petrol prices by 76 cents a gallon and total fuel use by 44%. In the same week, European regulators opened infringement cases against 18 member states over energy sharing rules.
Wholesale power in America's largest grid jumped 75.5 percent in a year, while in Europe Playmobil has ended figure production in Germany and heat pump sales rose 17 percent as households flee gas.
For the first time, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say they are more concerned than excited about AI's growing role in daily life, 56% to 49%, according to a Pew Research Center survey of 3,488 U.S. adults.
The US economy shed 23,000 jobs in July, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on 7 August, the first monthly decline since February. In the same period, data centre construction pushed welder and pipefitter postings up 164% year over year.
China's Zhejiang province will let independent grid-side batteries trade in its electricity spot market from 1 January 2027, under a notice published on 23 September that covers 40 projects totalling 2.54 GW/5.1 GWh.
Austria will let households and businesses share self-generated electricity from Oct. 5, but reduced grid charges for those arrangements will not take effect until Jan. 1, 2027, according to pv magazine.
Electric trucks already cost less to run than diesel in six of nine major EU markets, which together account for 46% of new heavy truck sales, according to a Transport & Environment analysis published on 28 September.
Playmobil's Dietenhofen plant in Bavaria, where the plastic figures have been made for decades, ran its final shift in June, with around 350 jobs lost. The company cited high energy prices first among the reasons, and it is not alone.
Playmobil has ended figure production at its Dietenhofen plant in Bavaria, putting around 350 jobs at risk, as high energy prices push manufacturing out of Germany. In the same quarter, heat pump sales across 11 European countries rose 17 percent year on year.
The European Commission sent letters of formal notice to 18 EU member states on 28 September for failing to report full transposition of the energy-sharing provisions in the bloc's electricity market reform, pv magazine reported.
Volvo Trucks' new heavy-duty electric range was named International Truck of the Year 2027 at IAA Transportation on 27 September. The same week, a $1.9 billion US grid grant programme and a Chinese storage market reform showed how unevenly the infrastructure behind electrification is being built.
Wholesale power costs in the largest US market rose 75.5 percent year on year in the first quarter. Europe's manufacturers are cutting production for the same reason: the price of energy has stopped being a line item and become a location decision.