Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Kansas City Fed Denver / Oklahoma City / Omaha

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Labor Market Focus

Experts at the Kansas City Fed have developed a collection of research and resources exploring the impact of labor markets on the economy.

Monitoring the labor market is a key focus of the Federal Reserve in its mission to foster a stable and growing economy. Keeping a pulse on the supply and demand of jobs, wages and the demographics of the labor force is critical to understanding the health of local and national economies

The Kansas City Fed monitors the labor market through the work of experts and economists. Below, you’ll find an archive of the Bank’s latest research and resources related to labor.

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164 result(s) found


Article Title	Author(s)	Date	Type
The KC Fed LMCI suggests the level of activity declined modestly, and momentum accelerated moderately in April The level of activity decreased by 0.07, from 0.61 to 0.54. Labor Market Conditions Indicators, Labor Market, Recent Research	Expandable Row	May 7, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
Leisure and Hospitality: Strong Demand and Supply Constraints Strong household finances, along with pent-up demand from the pandemic, has fueled discretionary spending on recreation and experiences for Nebraskans. Labor and Demographics, Nebraska Economist, Savings, Nebraska	John McCoy Expandable Row	May 7, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
Ask an Economist: Strong labor market has narrowed gaps between Black and white non-college men Research shows large gains in employment since the COVID-19 pandemic-led recession. Labor and Demographics, Ask an Economist, Labor Market, Ten	Expandable Row	April 24, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
Foreign-Born Women Have Driven the Recent Increase in Prime-Age Women in the Labor Force The labor force participation rate of prime-age (25 to 54) women declined dramatically during the pandemic-led recession but has since recovered to an all-time high. We examine how different groups have contributed to this rebound and find that foreign-born women, particularly those with a bachelor’s degree, account for most of the increase in the number of prime-age women in the labor force. Immigration, in turn, fueled the increase in the number of foreign-born women in the labor force. Labor and Demographics, International, Macroeconomics, Economic Bulletin	Didem Tüzemen Emily Pollard Expandable Row	April 15, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
Labor Markets in Interest-Rate-Insensitive Industries Appear to Be Responding to Monetary Policy Tightening No Description Provided. Labor and Demographics, Monetary Policy, Charting the Economy, Data and Trends	Karlye Dilts Stedman Emily Pollard Expandable Row	March 22, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
Labor Market Tightness, Though Elevated, Is Not Far above Pre-Pandemic Levels No Description Provided. Labor and Demographics, Charting the Economy, Macroeconomics, Data and Trends, Inflation	Jose Mustre-del-Rio Jordan Rappaport Shu-Kuei X. Yang Expandable Row	March 8, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
KC Fed's LMCI Suggests the Pre-Pandemic Relationship between Labor Market Variables Has Been Restored No Description Provided. Labor and Demographics, Charting the Economy, Data and Trends	José Mustre-del-Río Emily Pollard Expandable Row	February 5, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
Nebraska's Tight Labor Market: An Update to Long-Running Shortage Concerns Labor markets have been tight in Nebraska for almost a decade. Increasing participation among the youngest members of the labor force could help. Labor and Demographics, Nebraska Economist, Nebraska	John McCoy Expandable Row	January 19, 2024 Expandable Row	Web Page Expandable Row
Decline in Number of Workers with “Some College” Is Boosting Healthcare Wage Inflation Compared with the pre-pandemic period, the labor force contains about 1.5 million fewer individuals who have some post-secondary schooling but less than a bachelor’s degree. As a result, vacancies for jobs that require a post-secondary certificate or an associate degree remain elevated, especially in health-related fields. These shortages have contributed to higher wages in the fast-growing healthcare field and are unlikely to resolve quickly. Labor and Demographics, Macroeconomics, Economic Bulletin	Emily Pollard Expandable Row	December 20, 2023 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row
A Strong Labor Market Has Narrowed Gaps in Participation and Employment between Black and White Non-College Men Black men without a college degree have seen especially strong gains in employment and wages during the pandemic recovery. Labor and Demographics, Economic Review, Macroeconomics	Didem Tüzemen Deepak Venkatasubramanian Expandable Row	November 30, 2023 Expandable Row	Web Page Full Text Expandable Row