Labor Market Focus

Experts at the Kansas City Fed have developed a collection of research and resources exploring the impact of labor markets on the economy.

Monitoring the labor market is a key focus of the Federal Reserve in its mission to foster a stable and growing economy. Keeping a pulse on the supply and demand of jobs, wages and the demographics of the labor force is critical to understanding the health of local and national economies

The Kansas City Fed monitors the labor market through the work of experts and economists. Below, you’ll find an archive of the Bank’s latest research and resources related to labor.

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175 result(s) found


Article Title	Author(s)	Date	Type
The KC Fed LMCI suggests the level of activity was little changed and momentum accelerated in November The level of activity was little changed at 0.42, and it remains above its historical average. Labor Market Conditions Indicators Labor Market Recent Research	Expandable Row	December 10, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
Post-Secondary Education Helping Fill Job Openings in Nebraska with Room to Grow Educational institutions serve as an important source of in-demand labor and with a few innovations, may further improve the development of the state’s labor force. Labor and Demographics Nebraska Economist Regional Economy Nebraska	John McCoy Nate Kauffman Expandable Row	December 6, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
The Future of U.S. Productivity: Cautious Optimism amid Uncertainty Recent productivity growth likely reflects both cyclical and structural factors, including remote work and AI. Labor and Demographics Economic Review Macroeconomics Data and Trends	Nida Çakır Melek Alex Gallin Expandable Row	December 5, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Nebraska’s Labor Market Still Strong, but More People Working Multiple Jobs The labor market in Nebraska remains strong, but some emerging trends point to elements of softness important to monitor moving forward. Labor and Demographics Nebraska Economist Regional Economy Nebraska	John McCoy Nate Kauffman Expandable Row	November 20, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
Mismatch Unemployment During COVID-19 and the Post-Pandemic Labor Shortages During the post-pandemic recovery, sectors with larger mismatch unemployment saw higher growth in labor costs. Labor and Demographics Economic Geography Covid-19 Research Research Working Paper Macroeconomics	Serdar Birinci Yusuf Mercan Kurt See Expandable Row	October 9, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Cost of Childcare Increasingly Weighs on Labor Force Engagement Problems attaining childcare have weighed on workers’ engagement in the labor force for some time. A few years ago, pandemic disruptions were the primary culprit in the lower consumption of childcare services. Now, the rising cost of childcare may be to blame. As wage growth moderates, higher childcare costs could place added pressure on households and cause some workers to at least partially disengage from the workforce. Labor and Demographics Regional Economic Bulletin Inflation	John McCoy Expandable Row	October 9, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Inter-state Mobility and Earnings Gains of Young College Graduates Lower earnings gains and higher initial debt help explain why young college graduates are less likely to move across state lines. Labor and Demographics Quantitative Methods Economic Geography Research Working Paper Macroeconomics	Andrew Glover José Mustre-del-Río Expandable Row	September 3, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Labor Shortages in the Healthcare Sector Have Eased, Which May Soften Price Pressures Following severe labor shortages during the post-pandemic recovery, employment and wage growth in the healthcare sector have returned to their pre-pandemic trends. The healthcare sector is labor intensive, and inflation in the sector has historically tracked wage growth. Thus, lower wage growth may limit price pressures in the healthcare sector. Labor and Demographics Macroeconomics Economic Bulletin Inflation	Johannes Matschke Emily Pollard Expandable Row	August 16, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Ask an Economist: Aditi Routh and Fumiko Hayashi A Kansas City Fed study explores cryptocurrency ownership and found that financial literacy and risk tolerance vary by type of owners. Labor and Demographics Ask an Economist Ten Magazine Labor Ten	Expandable Row	July 25, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
Young Workers Fuel Recovery in Jobs Requiring a High School Diploma or Less The labor force of individuals with a high school diploma or less has surpassed pre-pandemic levels thanks to an increase in the number of young workers. However, this shift toward younger workers could affect both the current and future productive capacity of the economy. Young workers lack experience and work fewer hours, which could lead to productivity losses in the short term. More concerningly, some young people appear to be foregoing education to work, which may hurt their future labor market prospects. Labor and Demographics Macroeconomics Economic Bulletin	Emily Pollard Expandable Row	June 14, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row

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Labor Market Focus

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Filter Archived Content

The KC Fed LMCI suggests the level of activity was little changed and momentum accelerated in November

Post-Secondary Education Helping Fill Job Openings in Nebraska with Room to Grow

The Future of U.S. Productivity: Cautious Optimism amid Uncertainty

Nebraska’s Labor Market Still Strong, but More People Working Multiple Jobs

Mismatch Unemployment During COVID-19 and the Post-Pandemic Labor Shortages

Cost of Childcare Increasingly Weighs on Labor Force Engagement

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Inter-state Mobility and Earnings Gains of Young College Graduates

Labor Shortages in the Healthcare Sector Have Eased, Which May Soften Price Pressures

Ask an Economist: Aditi Routh and Fumiko Hayashi

Young Workers Fuel Recovery in Jobs Requiring a High School Diploma or Less