Business
Electricity bills are up 6% from last year and becoming a midterm issue
Economists Stephen Moore and EJ Antoni analyze Democratic tax policies, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s appeal to millionaires, and break down rising gas prices on ‘The Bottom Line.’
For millions of Americans, higher electricity bills are becoming a monthly frustration and a growing force in the midterm elections.
Unlike more volatile costs such as gasoline, electricity is a steady, unavoidable expense tied directly to basic needs — keeping the lights on, heating and cooling homes and powering everyday life. That makes it especially politically sensitive at a time when many households are still feeling squeezed by broader inflation and high housing costs.
AMERICANS HIT WITH SOARING ELECTRICITY BILLS AS PRICE HIKES OUTPACE INFLATION NATIONWIDE
Both Republican and Democratic candidates are expected to discuss rising electricity costs on the campaign trail this midterm season. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
The issue is giving both parties fresh campaign ammunition, with Republicans casting higher bills as evidence of failed energy policies, regulatory overreach and a shift away from fossil fuels, while Democrats point to bill assistance programs, grid investments and clean energy incentives aimed at easing pressure on household budgets over time.
The fight is unfolding amid sharp regional divides in electricity prices. Federal energy data shows residential power costs vary widely across the country, illustrating how affordability pressures differ not just by income, but by geography, infrastructure and energy mix.
The latest figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration put the national average at 17.24 cents per kilowatt-hour, up 6% from a year earlier — a jump that outpaces wage growth for many households and adds to cumulative cost pressures from rent, insurance and groceries.
North Dakota has the lowest average residential electricity rate in the country at 11.02 cents per kilowatt-hour, while Hawaii — an outlier shaped in part by geographic isolation and reliance on imported fuel — has the highest, at 41.62 cents per kWh.
Nebraska, Idaho, Oklahoma and Arkansas also rank among the cheapest states, while California, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York join Hawaii among the most expensive. Many of the higher-cost states are also pursuing aggressive clean energy transitions or maintaining older, more complex grid systems — factors that can raise near-term costs even as they aim to stabilize prices in the long run.
Several of the cheapest states are deep-red, a pattern Republicans are likely to seize on to reinforce broader arguments about energy policy and cost of living — even though power prices are shaped as much by geography, fuel availability, regulatory structures and long-term infrastructure investments as by partisan control.
THE STATES WHERE AMERICANS PAY THE MOST — AND LEAST — FOR ELECTRICITY
Cheap electricity, however, does not always mean affordable energy. Weather extremes, household consumption patterns, housing efficiency, aging infrastructure and state-level utility decisions all affect what families ultimately pay. In hotter or colder regions, for instance, even low rates can translate into high monthly bills due to heavy air conditioning or heating use.
Utilities are also seeking rate increases in many states to cover grid modernization, wildfire mitigation, storm hardening and the expansion of renewable energy — costs that are often passed on to consumers gradually but steadily.
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As candidates fan out across the country ahead of the midterms, power bills are becoming a tangible symbol of household stress. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle/Getty Images)
Even so, the partisan pattern may prove politically useful in a campaign season shaped by anxiety over household expenses and economic uncertainty.
Gas prices may grab more headlines, but electricity bills can be more politically durable: they arrive every month, are harder to cut quickly and are often tied to local utilities and regulators. That gives candidates a direct way to connect national energy debates to a tangible, recurring household cost and to voter frustration that is felt not at the pump, but at the kitchen table.
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Long-haul trucker Miguel Caveda recently spent around $1,800 on diesel fuel during a week on the road, about 40% more than he typically paid before the Iran war began.
The sudden surge in diesel prices has eroded Caveda’s profit and upended his business in other ways, too. He has started searching out lighter hauls and avoiding hilly routes that guzzle fuel. He is also keenly aware that the steeper fuel costs will eventually trickle into the prices consumers pay for goods he is carrying—from tires to watermelon—assuming his business survives.
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Everton delivered a commanding performance at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium, thrashing Chelsea 3-0 in the Premier League on Saturday, March 21, 2026, with a brace from Beto and a stunning strike from Iliman Ndiaye sealing a result that boosted the Toffees’ European ambitions while intensifying scrutiny on Blues manager Liam Rosenior.
The Matchweek 31 clash, Everton’s first home game against Chelsea at the waterfront venue, saw David Moyes’s side produce one of their most complete displays of the 2025-26 season. Beto opened the scoring in the 33rd minute with a delicate finish over goalkeeper Robert Sanchez after latching onto James Garner’s sublime through ball. The Portuguese forward doubled the lead in the 62nd minute, powering home from Idrissa Gueye’s assist to make it 2-0.
Iliman Ndiaye capped the rout in the 76th minute with a brilliant curled finish into the far corner, assisted by Beto, who turned provider after a long pass from Jordan Pickford. The goal marked Ndiaye’s clinical contribution and brought the Hill Dickinson Stadium to its feet amid an electric atmosphere.
Everton goalkeeper Pickford earned his 100th clean sheet for the club with key saves, including two outstanding stops from Enzo Fernández either side of halftime, denying Chelsea any route back into the contest. The Toffees dominated possession at times, pressed relentlessly and exploited Chelsea’s disjointed defending.
For Chelsea, the defeat marked a fourth consecutive loss across all competitions, following a midweek Champions League humbling against Paris Saint-Germain. Rosenior admitted post-match that his team’s performance was “nowhere near” the level expected, with the Blues struggling to create clear chances despite fielding a talented attacking lineup.
The result lifted Everton to seventh in the Premier League table on 46 points from 31 games, putting them firmly in the mix for European qualification — potentially Champions League spots if results elsewhere align. Chelsea remained in sixth on 48 points but saw their buffer shrink, with pressure mounting on Rosenior amid a poor run that has seen back-to-back 3-0 defeats.
Highlights captured the game’s key moments: Beto’s clinical first goal showcased his hold-up play and finishing instinct, while his second demonstrated improved work rate and positioning. Ndiaye’s third was a moment of individual brilliance, curling the ball past Sanchez from the edge of the box after evading Jorrel Hato.
Everton controlled the narrative throughout, with Garner and Gueye anchoring midfield effectively and the defense, led by Jarrad Branthwaite, standing firm. Chelsea’s frustrations boiled over with late bookings and substitutions that failed to spark a comeback.
Post-match, Moyes praised his players’ intensity and execution, noting the significance of consecutive home league wins at the new stadium — a first this season. “The atmosphere was incredible, and the lads gave everything,” he said. Rosenior, meanwhile, highlighted areas for improvement, emphasizing the need for better cohesion and resilience.
The victory marked Everton’s biggest win over Chelsea since 1987 and underscored their progress under Moyes in the new home. Fans celebrated wildly, with social media buzzing over Beto’s impact — his fifth and sixth goals of the season — and the team’s upward trajectory.
Chelsea now face a quick turnaround, with upcoming fixtures testing their credentials further. Everton will look to build momentum as they chase a top-six finish in a competitive race.
Full-match and extended highlights are available on official Premier League channels, NBC Sports, Sky Sports, BBC Sport and club websites, capturing the goals, saves and atmosphere that defined the evening.
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Artificial intelligence is reshaping Australia’s job market at an unprecedented pace, with technical and strategic AI roles leading the charge as the fastest-growing opportunities in 2026. LinkedIn’s annual “Jobs on the Rise” report, released in January and based on millions of job postings and hires from 2023 to mid-2025, places AI Engineer at the top spot, highlighting a surge in demand driven by businesses accelerating AI adoption for productivity, automation and competitive advantage.
The report underscores that AI literacy has become the most sought-after skill across industries, with eight in ten global leaders preferring candidates proficient in AI tools even over those with more traditional experience. In Australia, this shift is creating high-paying roles in tech hubs like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, while also spawning emerging positions in generative AI, ethics, deployment and strategy.
Here are 10 of the most prominent rising AI-related jobs in Australia for 2026, drawn from LinkedIn data, industry analyses and recruitment trends:
- AI Engineer (also known as Machine Learning Engineer) Tops LinkedIn’s 2026 list as the fastest-growing role nationwide. These professionals design, build and deploy AI systems that analyze data, recognize patterns and make predictions. Key skills include Large Language Models (LLM), LangChain and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). Demand is highest in technology, IT services and consulting sectors, with strong hybrid and remote options. Salaries often range from $165,000 to $250,000 annually, per Hays recruitment data.
- Director of Artificial Intelligence Ranked fourth on LinkedIn’s rising jobs list, this C-suite position oversees AI strategy, team leadership and implementation across organizations. As companies embed AI into products, operations and innovation, executives with this expertise command packages around $250,000 or more, reflecting the strategic priority of AI upskilling at board level.
- LLM/Generative AI Engineer A rapidly expanding niche focused on fine-tuning large language models, building retrieval-augmented systems and ensuring safety in generative applications like chatbots and content creation. This role demands high compute resources and expertise in rapid iteration, making it one of the highest-growth and best-compensated technical positions in AI.
- AI Solutions Architect These specialists design scalable AI infrastructures, integrating models into enterprise systems while addressing compliance, security and performance. Demand surges as businesses move beyond pilots to production environments, particularly in finance, healthcare and government.
- MLOps Specialist / AI Platform Engineer Responsible for the operational side of AI — building pipelines, managing deployment, monitoring models and ensuring reliability at scale. As teams shift from experimentation to ecosystems of AI tools, MLOps roles bridge development and production, with strong demand in cloud-heavy Australian firms.
- AI Adoption & Enablement Manager Focuses on organizational change: training staff, driving AI tool integration and measuring adoption impact. This hybrid role combines technical knowledge with change management, helping workplaces transition amid AI disruption.
- Prompt Engineer / AI Specialist Experts in crafting effective prompts for LLMs to optimize outputs for business needs, from content generation to decision support. A lower-barrier entry point into AI, it’s growing fast as non-technical teams leverage generative tools.
- AI Ethics & Governance Specialist / Compliance Officer With Australia’s developing AI regulations and global ethical concerns, these roles ensure responsible deployment, bias mitigation and alignment with laws. Rising demand stems from risk management needs in high-stakes sectors.
- Data Scientist (with AI focus) While broader, the role increasingly incorporates advanced AI techniques for insights and forecasting. Australian employers seek those blending statistical modeling with LLM integration for actionable business outcomes.
- AI Trainer / Data Annotator Entry-to-mid-level positions involving labeling data, fine-tuning models for Australian contexts (accents, culture) and quality assurance. Essential for improving model accuracy, these roles support the foundational layer of AI development.
The boom reflects broader trends: organizations prioritize AI to combat skills shortages and boost efficiency, even as concerns about job displacement persist. Reports indicate potential for net job creation, though transitions require upskilling support. LinkedIn notes AI-related postings have exploded, with flexibility (hybrid/remote) common in many roles.
Experts emphasize that while AI automates routine tasks, it elevates demand for human-AI collaboration skills. Workers transitioning from software engineering, data roles or even non-tech fields benefit from targeted learning in tools like prompt engineering or model basics.
As Australia aims for a competitive edge in the global AI economy, these 10 roles represent prime opportunities for career growth in 2026. Job seekers are urged to build AI proficiency through courses, certifications and hands-on projects to capitalize on the surge.
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