If the small-business economy had a theme in 2025, it was resilience in the face of mixed signals. The nation’s economy is growing strongly today, following a stumble last year. Hiring has stayed positive overall, despite growing at a slower pace than in recent years. Consumers kept opening their wallets even as they told pollsters they were worried. And the Federal Reserve finally began to deliver the interest rate relief that many small business owners had been hoping for.

In this episode, we walk through our latest edition of the "The Economy Explained" for February 2026. Full article here: https://gusto.com/resources/gusto-insights/the-economy-explained-feb-2026?pagePath=resources&pagePath=gusto-insights&pagePath=the-economy-explained-feb-2026

The latest data on small-business hiring from Gusto shows that AI isn’t the “jobs apocalypse” for small companies that some have feared. Our evidence suggests that small businesses with more AI-exposed workforces are seeing revenue and hiring gains – not the dramatic job losses that some have predicted. There’s a learning curve, but early evidence points toward growth, not decline.

In this episode, we explore a major new study from Gusto's Insights Group, "The Reality of AI’s Impact on Small Businesses: New Evidence from Gusto Payroll Data."

Full study is here: https://gusto.com/resources/gusto-insights/ai-impact-on-smbs-2026

Much of the conversation around artificial intelligence focuses on job displacement – the fear that AI might automate away millions of jobs. But this narrative overlooks a practical and less-discussed impact that AI will have on jobs: the massive physical infrastructure required to power AI is creating surging demand for skilled trade workers around America.

In this research, we examine how pay for several skilled trades is being impacted by the AI datacenter boom today. Read the full research here: https://gusto.com/resources/gusto-insights/ai-data-center-wage-growth