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Public labor market research
Labor Pulse is a continuously maintained public research service for understanding change in the U.S. labor market. It brings official indicators, transparent composite measures, and careful analysis into one citable workspace for policy researchers and workforce leaders.
Featured analysis
A long-form analytical guide to competing underemployment definitions, NY Fed recent graduate outcomes, and major-level risk.
Current conditions, leading signals, and measures of technological change.
Color shows the change's direction for the labor market. Arrows show whether the value rose or fell.
Calculated by Labor Pulse from source observations.
0.20
Three-month average unemployment rate minus its prior 12-month low.
Calculated by Labor Pulse · As of 2026-04-01
-0.10
Standardized blend of openings, quits, and wage pressure.
Calculated by Labor Pulse · As of 2026-04-01
0.19
Standardized blend of claims, layoffs, and weekly-hours pressure.
Calculated by Labor Pulse · As of 2026-05-23
Where the labor market is now - confirmed, slower-moving signals.
Average hourly pay for private-sector workers.
Rising wages can be good for workers; very rapid growth can also feed inflation concerns.
The share of people age 16 and older who are working or actively looking for work.
Higher participation usually means more people are attached to the labor market.
The share of the civilian population age 16 and older that is employed.
Higher values generally mean more people are working.
The number of jobs on nonfarm employer payrolls across the US economy.
Higher payroll employment usually signals job growth; declines are a warning sign.
A broader unemployment measure that includes unemployed workers, discouraged workers, and people working part-time for economic reasons.
Lower is generally stronger; a gap with headline unemployment can signal hidden weakness.
The share of people in the labor force who are looking for work but do not have a job.
Lower is generally stronger, but very low unemployment can also coincide with hiring pressure.