Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey: Average employee workweek: Future (increase vs decrease; diffusion index; percentage points; seasonally unadjusted) - 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 collected by the Federal Reserve in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, the seasonally unadjusted diffusion index for the average employee workweek (share of CEOs seeing a future increase minus share forecasting a decrease) was 24.1 in March 2026, versus 33.3 in the previous month.
Sample. There are 695 observations in the monthly series presented in the plot above. The series covers the span of time stretching from May 1968 to March 2026.
History. Here's a peek at a few summary statistics calculated on the entire sample: the diffusion index was equal on average to 8.3; it recorded a bottom of -30.6 in October 1990; it peaked at 41.0 in March 1977.
Latest values
| Date | Value - Percentage points |
|---|---|
| 2026-01-31 | 21.4 |
| 2026-02-28 | 33.3 |
| 2026-03-31 | 24.1 |
Heads-up. One of the pros of our data visualization and download service is that we give you complete metadata. Find it below to gain insights on the properties of the series that you use in your work.
Not for investment purposes. Time series and other data distributed on this web site are not meant for investment purposes or any other financial decision. Users should consult professional advice and perform their own independent due diligence 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 | No |
| 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.