Fifth District Survey of Manufacturing Activity: Availability of skills needed: Future (increase vs decrease; diffusion index; percentage points; seasonally adjusted) - United States - Richmond FED - Monthly
This series is part of the dataset: Fifth District Survey of Manufacturing Activity (Richmond FED)
Download Full Dataset (.xlsx)Latest updates. According to survey data about manufacturers based in the Fifth District, the seasonally adjusted diffusion index for the availability of skills needed (share of CEOs seeing a future increase minus share forecasting a decrease) was 1.0 in May 2026, compared to -3.0 in April 2026.
Sample. This monthly time series has 187 records overall. The series covers the time range going from February 2010 to May 2026.
History. Take a look at some descriptive statistics computed on the full sample: the diffusion index reached its lowest level of -29.0 in June 2019; it hit a maximum of 12.0 in February 2010; it was equal on average to -3.5.
Latest values
| Date | Value - Percentage points |
|---|---|
| 2026-03-31 | -1.0 |
| 2026-04-30 | -3.0 |
| 2026-05-31 | 1.0 |
Heads-up. To simplify complex analyses, we categorize indicators into worksheets and datasets. If you navigate further down, you will discover how we arranged further information linked to the statistics provided here.
Not for investment purposes. Data and any other information found on FetchSeries are not suitable for investment purposes or any other financial decision. Users should seek expert advice and do independent analysis before taking any financial risk.
Series Metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Description | Diffusion index for the question: Will the availability of skills needed 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 Richmond |
| Source type | Central bank |
| Data licence | Not copyrightable under U.S. law |
| 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.