Empire State Manufacturing Survey: Average employee workweek: Future (increase vs decrease; diffusion index; percentage points; seasonally adjusted) - United States - NY FED - Monthly
This series is part of the dataset: Empire State Manufacturing Survey (NY FED)
Download Full Dataset (.xlsx)Latest updates. Based on manufacturing firms' responses to the Empire State Survey carried out by the New York FED, the seasonally adjusted diffusion index for the average employee workweek (share of CEOs seeing a future increase minus share forecasting a decrease) was 4.0 in April 2026, versus 10.8 in March 2026.
Sample. There are 298 records in the monthly time series displayed in the plot above. The series covers the time period going from July 2001 to April 2026.
History. Take a look at some simple statistics computed on the whole sample: the diffusion index averaged 7.3; it reached its lowest level of -13.8 in February 2009; it reached its highest level of 33.0 in February 2002.
Latest values
| Date | Value - Percentage points |
|---|---|
| 2026-02-28 | 15.2 |
| 2026-03-31 | 10.8 |
| 2026-04-30 | 4.0 |
Suggestion. We categorize indicators into worksheets and datasets to simplify exploration. By moving down the page, you will find how we structured further material linked to the statistics published here.
Not for investment purposes. Any financial data available on this web site are not not supposed to be used for investment purposes or any other financial decision. Users should obtain expert advice and perform their own independent due diligence before taking any financial risk.
Series Metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Description | Diffusion index for the question: Will the average employee workweek increase or decrease over the next six months? |
| Country | United States |
| Economic concept | Business survey response |
| Data type | Leading indicator of the business cycle |
| Deflation method | Not applicable |
| Seasonally adjusted | Yes |
| Rescaling | None |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Unit | Percentage points |
| Source | Federal Reserve Bank of New York |
| Source type | Central bank |
| Data licence | Free use subject to conditions |
| Measure type | Diffusion index (share of respondents reporting an increase minus share reporting a decrease) |
Series in the same data set
Discover the other time series included in this data set.