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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168 result(s) found


Article Title	Author(s)	Date	Type
The KC Fed LMCI suggests the level of activity declined slightly and momentum was little changed in May The level of activity declined by 0.05, from 0.31 to 0.26, though it remains above its historical average. Meanwhile, the momentum indicator was little changed at -0.24. Labor Market Conditions Indicators Labor Market Recent Research	Expandable Row	June 10, 2025 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
Labor Market Risk Associated with Trade Uncertainty More Limited in Nebraska Nebraska’s labor market has remained strong through the first quarter of 2025 and faces more limited risk from trade policy uncertainty than other states. Nebraska Economist Labor Market Trade Nebraska	John McCoy Nate Kauffman Expandable Row	April 18, 2025 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
Labor Market Cooling Has Been Uneven Across Industries The U.S. labor market has cooled over the last two years but remains healthy overall. However, an industry-specific version of the KC Fed’s Labor Market Conditions Indicators (LMCI) suggests pockets of tightness and weakness have appeared in a few industries. Tightness appears to be limited to less labor-intensive industries, limiting upside risk to inflation. Weakness, on the other hand, has appeared in the interest-rate-sensitive information industry, which may be vulnerable to further labor market cooling. Labor and Demographics Monetary Policy Data and Trends Economic Bulletin Inflation	Karlye Dilts Stedman Emily Pollard Expandable Row	January 31, 2025 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
KC Fed LMCI Can Help Sift Out Noise in Payroll Data Data on monthly payroll growth are noisy and subject to revisions, making real-time assessment of the health of the labor market challenging. We use the information encoded in the Kansas City Fed’s Labor Market Conditions Indicators (LMCI) to get a cleaner picture of payroll growth. According to the LMCI-implied estimates of payroll growth, the labor market may be stronger than official data suggest. Labor and Demographics Macroeconomics Data and Trends Economic Bulletin	Amaze Lusompa José Mustre-del-Río Expandable Row	January 13, 2025 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text 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

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Labor Market Focus

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The KC Fed LMCI suggests the level of activity declined slightly and momentum was little changed in May

Labor Market Risk Associated with Trade Uncertainty More Limited in Nebraska

Labor Market Cooling Has Been Uneven Across Industries

KC Fed LMCI Can Help Sift Out Noise in Payroll Data

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