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Labor Market Indicators

Track employment trends, wage growth, and labor force dynamics with comprehensive data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Monitor unemployment rates, job creation, labor participation, and earnings to understand economic health and workforce conditions.

Use Cases

  • Monitor employment trends for macroeconomic forecasting and investment decisions
  • Track wage growth as a leading indicator of consumer spending and inflation
  • Analyze jobless claims for early warning signals of economic downturns
  • Assess labor market tightness for Federal Reserve policy expectations
  • Build employment dashboards for economic research and reporting

Plan Access

Free
Pro
Enterprise

Data Recency

Free: Updated monthly
Pro: Updated monthly
Enterprise: Updated monthly

Historical Data

Free: All history
Pro: All history
Enterprise: All history

Available Series

UNRATE

Unemployment Rate

Percentage of the labor force that is unemployed and actively seeking employment

Frequency:monthly
Units:%
PAYEMS

Nonfarm Payrolls

Total number of paid U.S. workers excluding farm employees, government, nonprofit, and private household employees

Frequency:monthly
Units:Thousands
LFPR

Labor Force Participation Rate

Percentage of the civilian population that is either employed or unemployed and looking for work

Frequency:monthly
Units:%
ICSA

Initial Jobless Claims

Number of new unemployment insurance claims filed, a leading indicator of labor market health

Frequency:weekly
Units:Number
AHETPI

Average Hourly Earnings

Average hourly earnings of all private nonfarm employees

Frequency:monthly
Units:USD

How to Query Labor Market Data

Get Latest Unemployment Rate

curl -X GET "https://api.exanomic.com/v2/series/UNRATE/observations?limit=1&sort=desc" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your-api-key-here"

Build Employment Dashboard

curl -X POST "https://api.exanomic.com/v2/series/multi" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your-api-key-here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "series_ids": ["UNRATE", "PAYEMS", "LFPR", "AHETPI"],
    "limit": 12
  }'

Track Monthly Job Growth

curl -X GET "https://api.exanomic.com/v2/series/PAYEMS/analytics/mom?limit=12&change_type=both" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your-api-key-here"

Understanding Labor Market Data

Employment Report

The monthly employment report (released first Friday of each month) is one of the most important economic indicators:

  • Nonfarm Payrolls: Shows net job creation/loss across the economy
  • Unemployment Rate: Percentage of labor force actively seeking work
  • Average Hourly Earnings: Tracks wage inflation and worker compensation

Key Concepts

  • Labor Force Participation: Percentage of population working or seeking work (excludes retirees, students, discouraged workers)
  • Jobless Claims: Weekly data providing real-time insight into layoffs and labor market stress
  • Natural Rate: Unemployment rate consistent with stable inflation (around 4% historically)

Data Sources

U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDepartment of Labor