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 10.6 in October 2025, compared to 22.5 in September.
Sample. In this monthly time series, there are 690 records in total. The period covered by the series stretches from May 1968 to October 2025.
History. Here’s a quick look at some summary statistics we calculated on the whole sample: the diffusion index reached its lowest level of -27.8 in September 1979; it recorded a maximum of 41.0 in March 1977; it had a mean of 8.2.
Latest values
| Date | Value - Percentage points |
|---|---|
| 2025-08-31 | 4.3 |
| 2025-09-30 | 22.5 |
| 2025-10-31 | 10.6 |
Suggestion. 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.
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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) |