Monthly employment reports provide crucial snapshots of labor market health, but headline numbers often mask important underlying trends. We assess wage growth patterns to determine whether workers are receiving their fair share of economic growth, and analyze labor force participation rates to identify barriers to employment.
Jobs Day

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The data from the February labor market show continued labor market strength. Almost all employment-based indicators show improvement from the previous month, even as the general trend of wage growth is downwards. The headline unemployment number rose from 3.4% to 3.6%, but this was due to a strong
This preview was published two business days ago for our Premium Donor distribution. Consider subscribing if you would like to support our public research and advocacy work, and receive early access to our data release previews. While the economic views expressed here remain unchanged, the policy implications have further cemented
Labor Market Recap January 2023: The data from the January labor market show an unequivocally strong labor market. Nearly every indicator from every data source is showing strong employment against a backdrop of slowing nominal price and wage growth. Although the consensus anticipated an uptick, the unemployment rate fell to
What the data tells us to expect for Friday: * Interpreting nonfarm payroll employment numbers will be messy due to the benchmark revision: The BLS folds in more comprehensive data each February on job creation. That can be especially substantial at the sectoral level and recast what the true employment trajectory
New data from December shows a labor market that remains strong all-around even as wages have begun to decelerate. The unemployment rate ticked down from 3.6% to 3.5%, while prime-age employment increased from 79.7% to 80.1%. The establishment survey continued to show growing employment, but at