A series of high-profile layoff announcements has raised concerns about the stability of the U.S. job market in 2026. Lingering concerns about the threats posed by artificial intelligence to white-collar workers have come to a head in recent weeks, as tech firms including Meta and Microsoft revealed drastic reductions in the size of their workforce. And this week, Business Insider and The Wall Street Journal reported that the retail giant Walmart would be cutting or relocating around 1,000