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Reposted by Justin Wolfers

Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 15h

I sat down for a nice long chat on the Nick Standlea Show
about the economics of AI: How it's changing our labor market, who it's going to help and hurt, how policy can help, and what each of us can do to stay relevant.

Posted to my (fledgling) youtube channel here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oful...

The AI Revolution Is an Ownership Problem, Not a Tech Problem — Economist Justin Wolfers

YouTube video by The Nick Standlea Show

www.youtube.com

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 15h

I sat down for a nice long chat on the Nick Standlea Show
about the economics of AI: How it's changing our labor market, who it's going to help and hurt, how policy can help, and what each of us can do to stay relevant.

Posted to my (fledgling) youtube channel here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oful...

The AI Revolution Is an Ownership Problem, Not a Tech Problem — Economist Justin Wolfers

YouTube video by The Nick Standlea Show

www.youtube.com

11 57 200

Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 1d

Every one of them deserves my care, respect, and the best education I can give them.

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 1d

If you tax trucks 🚛, trucking in your inputs gets pricier.

That means flying ✈️ or shipping 🚢 looks better.

Where do planes and boats come from?

Yes, this just made transporting inputs from abroad *more* competitive.

It's like taxing bikes to reduce road congestion.

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 1d

It had been hours since the President had announced a tariff change, and all of this stability was killing the economy. He had to act to provide the American people with the uncertainty they deserve.

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 1d

Anyway, just wanted to share, in case other faculty are thinking about this. #teachecon

It's particularly resonant for me because so many of my students are freshmen, and they're trying to navigate choices that have gotten more treacherous than they need to be.

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 1d

Took a moment in class to remind my undergrads to get their flu and covid jabs. Not my usual role as an econ prof, but right now they have too few trusted voices. And if others are trying to avoid political strife (this ISN'T political!!!), my students may not be hearing it elsewhere.

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 1d

For folks looking for some of the studies on high-skill immigration that I referenced, you can't go past this review by @mclem.org: www.piie.com/blogs/realti...

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 1d

For all of the (manufactured) passion about the quality of labor statistics, Trump administration has left the BLS leaderless for months, is no closer to a replacement, and has left many of the leadership posts within the organization empty. And no-one is allowed to come to work right now, either.

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 1d

I did a bit of reporting (aka talking to my better half, Betsy Stevenson—ex-Labor chief economist & Obama CEA). Her read from the last shutdown: some senior officials saw the jobs number even as the public waited. This time may rhyme.

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 1d

Economics isn’t about jumping at every data point. It’s about weighing evidence — especially when some of it’s noisy. The ADP jobs number is one clue, not the whole case.

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 2d

My favorite gig in the world is this "Professor Is In" segment I do with @anacabrera.bsky.social , where we step back from the news cycle to do what I really love: Teach economics.

Our latest: The economics of high-skill immigration, and the H-1B visa program.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sxg...

The Professor Is In—Justin Wolfers on H-1B Visas: H-1B Talent Lifts U.S. Wages and Innovation

In this episode of "The Professor Is In," economist Justin Wolfers explores the economics of high-skill immigration. Do high-skill immigrants take jobs—or help build more of them? Economist Justin…

www.youtube.com

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 2d

Ever wanted to hear two middle-aged blokes talk macro and meow? [email protected] and me as we race from BLS to the Fed to tariffs to competence (still not a dirty word) to immigration to shutdowns, and finish up purring about kittens. #dadcore
www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-qo...

The Terrible Cost of the Trump Economy with Economics Professor Justin Wolfers

Economist Justin Wolfers joins The Left Hook to explain how Trump's reckless incompetence is weakening America's reputation, alliances, and the economy. In this conversation, we discuss the cost of…

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Justin Wolfers

Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 4d

Hey, folks at the White House and the Council of Economic Advisers! You guys ready to issue a correction yet?

This isn't controversial: It's arithmetic. Indeed, it's your arithmetic, but I fixed your errors.

Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 5d

Trump's CEA is circulating its estimate of the economic cost of the government shutdown.

But, BREAKING: It's wrong. It makes a simple arithmetic error. And it's dishonest.

Surprising, I know. 🧵

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 2d

The expected duration of this shutdown keeps rising.

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 2d

Hey, that's my Econ 101 students! Talking econ! In the public square! With the great @svaneksmith.bsky.social!

Love you guys.

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 3d

Think of the economy as like baking a cake. H‑1B visas supply missing ingredients -- high skill STEM workers. If Trump cuts off access: fewer projects get baked, worse recipes get used, or we import the cake. None of those make Americans better off. #TheProfessorIsIn #TeachEcon

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 3d

The numbers say H-1Bs raise wages, boost patents, and drive productivity.

The story is that H-1Bs aren’t just “workers”—they’re engines of innovation. They're the strivers who crossed the ocean, and brought their fresh new ideas with them.

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 3d

Brunch and pod with my pal, @mollyjongfast.bsky.social and me. We dig into the shutdown, the missing jobs report, tariffs, the reality that Trump's CEA can't do arithmetic (or apologize) and all of this econ-madness that's all around us.

Is the Trump Hiding Job Numbers? w/ Justin Wolfers

Economist Justin Wolfers joins Molly Jong-Fast to explore the implications of the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, particularly focusing on its effects on public data dissemination and the broader…

m.youtube.com

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 3d

Research shows:
More H-1Bs → more patents
Fewer H-1Bs → more offshoring

Your choice, America.

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 3d

If H‑1Bs “took jobs,” you’d expect lower wages for U.S. grads. The best available studies show the opposite: 1990–2010 H‑1B inflows raised wages of American college grads by 4.2% and non‑college by ~2%, with native employment unchanged.

Think complements, not substitutes.

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Reposted by Justin Wolfers

Adam Weinstein @adamweinstein.bsky.social · 4d

"Only the portrait of a deceased individual may appear on United States currency and securities." 31 USC 5114(b)

Bill Kuchman @billkuchman.bsky.social · 4d

Treasury Department considers minting a $1 Trump coin www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Treasury Department considers minting a $1 Trump coin

The draft design of the coin, which was overseen by the Office of the U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach, features Trump’s profile on one side of the coin.

www.politico.com

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 4d

A shutdown is Washington burning your money to send a message. Work won't get done but workers will get paid. Same cost, less benefit.

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 4d

Hey, folks at the White House and the Council of Economic Advisers! You guys ready to issue a correction yet?

This isn't controversial: It's arithmetic. Indeed, it's your arithmetic, but I fixed your errors.

Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 5d

Trump's CEA is circulating its estimate of the economic cost of the government shutdown.

But, BREAKING: It's wrong. It makes a simple arithmetic error. And it's dishonest.

Surprising, I know. 🧵

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 4d

Turns out the check wasn’t presidential restraint; it was Senate reality: even they won’t confirm "a partisan hack, a clown, someone who's relentlessly unqualified" to run the BLS.

That’s a relief—and a reminder that institutions still push back when norms are tested.

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