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Last month, in a
cover leader,
we wrote that governments needed to prepare for an AI jobs apocalypse. In a new By Invitation essay,
Carson Block
predicts that this will result in a huge stock-market slump. “We will witness not just an almighty market correction, but the end of the existing social contract,” he writes.
And if you’ve ever tried to apply for an Indian visa, you may have discovered the sadistic mix of pop-ups, moving text and flashing graphics that make Indian government websites borderline unusable. In his latest column, Ashoka ponders why officials in a country renowned for its people’s IT skills
cannot build a decent website.
What to expect in the week ahead:
▸ Andy Burnham will set out his plans for Britain in a speech on Monday. The former mayor of Greater Manchester is almost certain to become the next prime minister after Sir Keir Starmer resigned on June 22nd. Yet his
economic vision
so far has alarmingly little detail. He must convince bond markets that his policies are affordable while offering voters something bold enough to feel like change.
▸ America’s Bureau of Labour Statistics releases its monthly jobs report on Thursday. The country’s
labour market
is balmy; employers created 172,000 jobs in May, more than analysts had expected. With American inflation above target, Kevin Warsh, the Federal Reserve’s new chairman, may find his hopes for looser interest-rate policy
increasingly hard to justify.
▸ Trade talks between the EU and China are set to take place on Monday, although Chinese state media have complained about a “lack of sincerity” from European officials in preliminary discussions. The bloc’s trade deficit in goods with China was about €1bn ($1.14bn) a day in 2025. A trade war
seems inevitable. | 
