America's job market optimism gap is the worst in the world - Axios

A new international comparison finds the United States has the largest gap between worker optimism and actual job-market conditions among advanced economies, with Americans far more negative than peers. The analysis notes that in many other countries younger people tend to be more positive or generational attitudes are more aligned, making the U.S. divergence notable. This aligns with recent surveys showing rising domestic job-market pessimism and with early-2026 economic data that have undercut upbeat official messaging.