Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Kansas City Fed Denver / Oklahoma City / Omaha

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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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152 result(s) found


Article Title	Author(s)	Date	Type
Labor Constraints and Strong Demand Are Driving Robust Food Services Inflation Although headline inflation has slowed in recent months, inflation for core services has remained elevated since the first half of 2021. Inflation for food services in particular has been significantly higher than inflation for goods and other services. We argue that food services inflation has been elevated by the sector’s fast rebound in expenditures and its high dependency on labor amid labor shortages and elevated labor costs. Labor and Demographics, Economic Bulletin, Inflation	Francisco Scott Cortney Cowley Expandable Row	September 27, 2023 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Post-Pandemic Labor Shortages Have Limited the Effect of Monetary Policy on the Labor Market The labor market has so far shown remarkable resilience to the Federal Reserve’s recent monetary policy tightening. Severe labor shortages in the post-pandemic era have led many employers to hold on to workers and hire less-skilled workers—even though they expect demand for their goods or services to weaken in the future. As a result, unemployment remains low, and labor productivity has declined. Labor and Demographics, Monetary Policy, Economic Bulletin	Elior Cohen Expandable Row	September 22, 2023 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
The KC Fed LMCI suggests the level of activity decreased, and momentum was little changed in August The KC Fed LMCI suggests the level of activity decreased, and momentum was little changed in August. Labor Market Conditions Indicators, Labor Market, Recent Research	Expandable Row	September 6, 2023 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Do Immigration Restrictions Affect Job Vacancies? Evidence from Online Job Postings Employers in immigrant-reliant labor markets increased their job search efforts in response to the 2016–21 decline in immigration. Labor and Demographics, Economic Geography, Economic Review	Elior Cohen Samantha Shampine Expandable Row	August 17, 2023 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
The Changing Landscape of the Traditional Office Environment The look of the conventional office is changing, and that's creating an increase in office vacancy rates in Nebraska and the rest of the country. Labor and Demographics, Ten, Nebraska	Andrea Gallagher Expandable Row	August 15, 2023 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
Newly Unemployed Workers Are Facing More Difficulty Finding Jobs No Description Provided. Labor and Demographics, Charting the Economy, Regional	Nicholas Sly Bethany Greene Expandable Row	July 6, 2023 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
Nebraska Real Estate Markets Searching for Balance The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the use of space over the last three years, boosting demand for residential and industrial space and suppressing demand for office space. Labor and Demographics, Nebraska Economist, Housing, Nebraska	Nate Kauffman John McCoy Expandable Row	June 30, 2023 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
Wage Growth Is Softening for Job Switchers, but Remains Steady for Stayers No Description Provided. Labor and Demographics, Charting the Economy	José Mustre-del-Río Expandable Row	May 19, 2023 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
Sharp Decline in Online Job Postings for Job Recruiters Could Signal a Softening Labor Market No Description Provided. Labor and Demographics, Charting the Economy	Elior Cohen Expandable Row	May 16, 2023 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
The LMCI-Implied Unemployment Rate Suggests Actual Unemployment May Begin to Rise No Description Provided. Labor and Demographics, Charting the Economy, Data and Trends	José Mustre-del-Río Emily Pollard Expandable Row	May 15, 2023 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row