Growth Booms, Jobs Send Warning! The U.S. economy surged at a 4.3% annual rate, crushing forecasts, as consumer spending and $166B in corporate profits powered GDP. But economists warn this boom is upside down: hiring has stalled, unemployment hit 4.6%. And its getting worse since AI isnt really counted in: “When you divorce growth from employment gains, you’ve got a problem,” Swonk said. “And this is before the real effects of AI have even set in.”