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. Based on a sample of manufacturing firms surveyd by the FED, the seasonally adjusted diffusion index for the average employee workweek (share of CEOs seeing a future increase minus share forecasting a decrease) was 22.5 in September 2025, compared to 4.3 in August 2025.
Sample. There are 689 records in the monthly time series shown in the chart above. The time period covered by the series goes from May 1968 to September 2025.
History. Take a look at a few summary statistics we computed on the entire sample: the diffusion index registered a minimum of -27.8 in September 1979; it attained a maximum of 41.0 in March 1977; it was equal on average to 8.2.
Latest values
| Date | Value - Percentage points |
|---|---|
| 2025-07-31 | 12.4 |
| 2025-08-31 | 4.3 |
| 2025-09-30 | 22.5 |
Suggestion. We organize series into worksheets and datasets to simplify research. When you look below, you will find how we structured further material linked to the statistics provided here.
Not for investment purposes. Data collected and published on FetchSeries are not intended for investment purposes or any other financial decision. Users should seek professional advice and perform their own independent due diligence before making any financial commitments.
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.