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 firms' responses to the Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey carried out by the Philadelphia FED, the seasonally adjusted diffusion index for the average employee workweek (share of CEOs seeing a future increase minus share forecasting a decrease) was 31.8 in September 2026, versus 21.4 in August.
Sample. This monthly series has 701 records overall. The series covers the span of time stretching from May 1968 to September 2026.
History. Check out a few summary statistics we computed on the full sample: the diffusion index peaked at 41.0 in March 1977; it recorded a minimum of -27.8 in September 1979; it had a mean of 8.4.
Latest values
| Date | Value - Percentage points |
|---|---|
| 2026-07-31 | 12.0000 |
| 2026-08-31 | 21.4000 |
| 2026-09-30 | 31.8000 |
Heads-up. An advantage of our data visualization and download service is that we provide accurate metadata. Check them below to learn more about the attributes of the indicators that you are exploring.
Not for investment purposes. Data and analyses collected and published on this web site are not meant for investment purposes or as a basis for financial-decision making. Users should ask for expert advice and do their own independent due diligence before taking any financial risk.
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.