CycleWatch

Signals › Labor Market

LNS12300060 · FRED

Prime-age employment-population ratio

Cleanest demographic-adjusted utilization measure.

Latest reading

80.70

Percent · observation 2026-09-01, published 2026-10-02

Last 24 observations.

Signal

+1.35

Reassuring. It holds the probability down.

Use
In model: block 2 score
Model input
change from the previous period
Direction
A falling value raises recession risk.

Where it fits

Labor Market: Detect the income-to-consumption feedback loop that turns a slowdown into a recession. The model averages the standardised signals in each block into a block score, then combines the twelve block scores in a probit. Today the 12-block model reads 1.6%.

Other signals in this block