Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey: Average employee workweek: Future (increase vs decrease; diffusion index; percentage points; seasonally adjusted) - United States - Philly FED - Monthly
This series is part of the dataset: Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey (Philly FED)
Download Full Dataset (.xlsx)Latest updates. According to survey data about manufacturers based in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, the seasonally adjusted diffusion index for the average employee workweek (share of CEOs seeing a future increase minus share forecasting a decrease) stood at 10.1 in October 2026, compared to 31.8 in the previous month.
Sample. There are 702 records in the monthly time series shown in the figure above. The period covered by the series stretches from May 1968 to October 2026.
History. Here's a peek at some simple statistics we calculated on the full sample: the diffusion index reached a trough of -27.8 in September 1979; it reached a maximum of 41.0 in March 1977; it had a mean of 8.4.
Latest values
| Date | Value - Percentage points |
|---|---|
| 2026-08-31 | 21.4000 |
| 2026-09-30 | 31.8000 |
| 2026-10-31 | 10.1000 |
Hint. To simplify research, we organize time series into worksheets and datasets. By scrolling down, you will discover how we structured further material linked to the statistics published here.
Not for investment purposes. Any data published on this web site are not not supposed to be used for investment purposes or other financial decisions. Users should ask for expert advice and do independent analysis before pledging money to any investment.
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 Philadelphia |
| 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.