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THE ECONOMICS DAILY
From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
06-26-2026 - Higher share of employed women than men held a bachelor's degree or higher in 2025 - June 26, 2026 - Educational attainment and employment status are closely related. Prior to the 2000s, employed men were more likely to hold a bachelor’s degree or higher than employed women. However, this trend reversed in the mid-2000s as women began pursuing higher education at a faster rate than men. In 2005, the percentage of employed women holding a bachelor’s degree and higher (33.5 percent) surpassed that of employed men (32.6 percent). Since then, this education gap has continued to grow; by 2025, nearly half of all employed women (49.6 percent) held a bachelor’s degree and higher, compared with 41.7 percent of employed men. These data are from the Current Population Survey.
06-25-2026 - Export airfares rise 3.9 percent as summer and soccer kick off - June 25, 2026 - As North America welcomes soccer teams and fans from around the world, many people will take to the skies to reach the United States. Export air passenger fares, or fares paid to U.S. carriers by foreign residents for international travel, rose 3.9 percent from May 2025 to May 2026. Contributing to the rise were a 5.9-percent increase in Latin American/Caribbean fares, a 5.3-percent increase in Asian fares, and a 0.9-percent increase in European fares. Central/South America (9.3 percent) and the United Kingdom (6.5 percent) were among the origins with the largest fare increases. These data are from the International Price program.
06-24-2026 - Compensation costs for civilian workers averaged $49.32 per hour worked in March 2026 - June 24, 2026 - Employer costs for employee compensation for civilian workers averaged $49.32 per hour worked in March 2026. Wages and salaries averaged $33.72, while benefit costs averaged $15.60. Total employer compensation costs for private industry workers averaged $46.60 per hour worked in March 2026. Wages and salaries averaged $32.60 per hour worked and accounted for 69.9 percent of employer costs, while benefit costs averaged $14.01 per hour worked and accounted for the remaining 30.1 percent. For state and local government workers, total employer compensation costs averaged $66.41 per hour worked in March 2026. Wages and salaries averaged $40.82 per hour worked and accounted for 61.5 percent of employer costs, while benefit costs averaged $25.59 per hour worked and accounted for the remaining 38.5 percent. These data are from the Employer Costs for Employee Compensation program and are not seasonally adjusted.
06-23-2026 - Producer Price Index up 6.5 percent over year ending May 2026 - June 23, 2026 The Producer Price Index for final demand increased 6.5 percent for the 12 months ended in May 2026, the largest 12-month rise since moving up 7.4 percent in November 2022. Producer prices for goods rose 10.4 percent over the year ended in May 2026, while energy prices rose 36.6 percent. Prices for services rose 4.9 percent over the year, while prices for trade services rose 4.1 percent. Prices for transportation and warehousing services rose 14.2 percent. These data are from the Producer Price Indexes program and are not seasonally adjusted.
06-22-2026 - Among married-couple families with children, 97.4 percent had at least one employed parent in 2025 - June 22, 2026 - In 2025, 32.9 million families, or nearly two-fifths of all families, included children under age 18. At least one parent was employed in 91.6 percent of these families with children, little changed from the prior year. Among married-couple families with children, 97.4 percent had at least one employed parent in 2025, and in 66.3 percent of these families both parents were employed. Among families maintained by fathers, 86.6 percent of fathers were employed, up from 84.8 percent in 2024. This was a larger share than the 75.6 percent of mothers who were employed in families maintained by mothers, little changed from the prior year. Mothers with children under 6 years old had lower rates of employment compared with mothers of older children (ages 6–17) and fathers with children of any age under 18. These data are from the Current Population Survey.
06-18-2026 - 50 years of the Employment Cost Index - June 18, 2026 - The Employment Cost Index (ECI) issued its first news release 50 years ago today, covering wage and salary changes from September 1975 to March 1976. For the first time, the ECI provided a measure of compensation costs unaffected by shifts in relative employment levels in different industries, occupations, and geographic areas. In the late 1970s, 12-month percent changes in costs for wages and salaries exceeded 6 percent for private industry workers. More recently, from March 2025 to March 2026, wages and salaries rose 3.4 percent. The current dollar index for wages and salaries for private industry workers was 26.4 in September 1975 and 177.672 in March 2026—a 573.0 percent growth in the past five decades. Benefit cost indexes were not available until the September 1987 news release, however historical data back to 1979 was calculated and provided. As of March 2026, employers’ costs for benefits had risen 558.8 percent from December 1979. These data are from the Employment Cost Index and are not seasonally adjusted.
06-17-2026 - Consumer prices up 4.2 percent over the year ended May 2026 - June 17, 2026 - The all items Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased 4.2 percent from May 2025 to May 2026. This was the largest 12-month increase since the index rose 4.9 percent over the year ended April 2023. ood prices increased 3.1 percent from May 2025 to May 2026, as prices for food at home increased 2.7 percent and prices for food away from home increased 3.5 percent. Over the year ended May 2026, energy prices increased 23.5 percent, after rising 17.9 percent for the 12 months ended April 2026. A year earlier, in May 2025, the 12-month change in energy prices was a 3.5-percent decrease. Excluding food and energy, prices rose 2.9 percent from May 2025 to May 2026. The shelter index increased 3.4 percent. Other notable increases over the year included medical care (2.6 percent), recreation (2.6 percent), household furnishings and operations (3.0 percent), and apparel (4.8 percent). These data are from the Consumer Price Index program and are not seasonally adjusted.
06-16-2026 - Unemployment rate unchanged at 4.3 percent in May 2026 - June 16, 2026 - In May 2026, the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.3 percent. The unemployment rate has remained in a narrow range of 4.3 percent to 4.5 percent since July 2025. The number of unemployed people, at 7.3 million, changed little over the month. Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates showed little or no change in May for adult men (4.0 percent), adult women (3.8 percent), teenagers (14.7 percent), and people who are White (3.8 percent), Black (6.6 percent), Asian (3.8 percent), or Hispanic (5.0 percent). These data are from the Current Population Survey and are seasonally adjusted. Data for October 2025 were not collected due to the federal government shutdown.
06-15-2026 - Productivity up 0.3 percent in first quarter 2026 - June 15, 2026 - Nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2026, as output increased 1.0 percent and hours worked increased 0.7 percent. This is the smallest increase in nonfarm business sector labor productivity since the first quarter of 2025, when there was a 0.9-percent decrease. From the first quarter of 2025, nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased 2.8 percent. Unit labor costs in the nonfarm business sector increased 1.8 percent in the first quarter of 2026, reflecting a 2.1-percent increase in hourly compensation and a 0.3-percent increase in productivity. These data are from the Productivity program and are seasonally adjusted at annual rates, subject to revision. Labor productivity, or output per hour, is calculated by dividing an index of real output by an index of hours worked for all persons, including employees, proprietors, and unpaid family workers.
06-12-2026 - Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 172,000 in May 2026 - June 12, 2026 - Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 172,000 in May 2026, similar to the gain of 179,000 in April. In May, job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, local government, and health care. Employment in financial activities declined. Leisure and hospitality added 70,000 jobs in May, well above the average monthly gain of 14,000 over the prior 12 months. Over the month, food services and drinking places added 48,000 jobs. In May, employment in local government rose by 55,000, largely reflecting a gain in local government, excluding education (+44,000). Health care added 35,000 jobs in May, in line with the average monthly gain of 38,000 over the prior 12 months. Over the month, ambulatory health care services added 26,000 jobs, including a gain of 11,000 in home health care services. Employment continued to trend up in hospitals (+6,000). Financial activities employment declined by 22,000 in May and was down by 107,000 since its recent peak one year ago. Over the month, job losses occurred in insurance carriers and related activities (-11,000) and commercial banking (-3,000). Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade, information, professional and business services, and other services. These data are from the Current Employment Statistics program and are seasonally adjusted. The most recent two months are preliminary.
06-11-2026 - Trends in manufacturing output and hours worked, 2007–2026 - June 11, 2026 - One way labor productivity growth occurs is when output grows at a faster rate than hours worked. In the manufacturing sector, labor productivity had been slowly declining since 2011 but saw a rebound in growth starting in 2025. Specifically, there has been a difference between output growth and growth in hours worked, the latter of which has been declining. Since the first quarter of 2025, productivity experienced consistent growth in all but one quarter. This growth was due to growth in output and small declines in hours worked. Labor productivity in manufacturing measures economic efficiency by comparing output growth to growth in hours worked. Sources of labor productivity can include the impact of labor composition, use of capital, technological change, efficiency improvements, returns to scale, reallocation of resources, and other factors on economic growth. Annual measures of total factor productivity help provide additional detail on the drivers of productivity growth.
06-10-2026 - Buncombe, NC, leads large counties in employment growth over the year ended December 2025 - June 10, 2026 - From December 2024 to December 2025, employment increased in 169 of the 372 largest U.S. counties. Buncombe, North Carolina, had the largest over-the-year increase in employment, with a gain of 3.7 percent. Within Buncombe, the largest employment increase occurred in leisure and hospitality, with a gain of 2,352 (+13.1 percent). Washington, DC, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment (-4.5 percent). Within Washington, the largest employment decrease occurred in government, with a loss of 21,178 (-9.0 percent). Four of the 10 largest counties had over-the-year percentage increases in employment. In December 2025, New York, New York, and Dallas, Texas, had the largest over-the-year employment percentage gain (+0.6 percent each). Within New York, financial activities had the largest employment increase, with a gain of 9,572 (+2.3 percent). Within Dallas, financial activities also had the largest employment increase, with a gain of 4,943 (+3.0 percent). These data are from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program and are preliminary. The 372 largest U.S. counties had annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2023.
06-09-2026 - 3Job openings increase; hires and total separations decrease in April 2026 - June 09, 2026 - The number and rate of job openings increased to 7.6 million (+731,000) and 4.6 percent, respectively, in April 2026. The number of job openings in professional and business services increased by 668,000, while openings in finance and insurance decreased by 135,000. The number and rate of hires decreased to 5.1 million (-419,000) and 3.2 percent, respectively, in April. Hires were little changed in all industries. The number of total separations decreased to 5.0 million (-399,000) and the rate declined to 3.1 percent. Total separations in retail trade decreased by 136,000. These data are from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey and are seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the month. Hires and separations include all changes to the payroll during the entire month.