CycleWatch

Signals › Labor Market

ULCNFB · FRED

Unit labor costs

The margin-squeeze channel connecting wages to layoffs.

Latest reading

124.0

Index 2017=100 · observation 2026-04-01, published 2026-08-06

Last 24 observations.

Signal

—

Not in the fit. No verdict.

Use
Not in model: LAGGING: never a predictor

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