| Bureau of Labor Statistics | The Bureau of Labor Statistics is the principal fact-finding agency for the Federal Government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics |
| Leading Economic Indicators | Widely regarded as a barometer of economic activity over three to six months, The Conference Board's Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI) is designed to signal peaks and troughs in the business cycle |
| Gross Domestic Product | GDP, calculated monthly by the U.S. Department of Commerce, represents the total value of all goods and services produced within the country. It is one of the broadest ways to measure an economy's health. |
| Consumer Confidence Index | This key index, released monthly by The Conference Board, measures consumer sentiment by surveying people about their confidence in the economy. Questions explore consumer job security and willingness to spend money. |
| Business inventories/sales ratio | Tracked by the Department of Commerce, this statistic measures the relationship of inventory to demand. As inventory levels fall, manufacturers must step up production to meet business's demand for goods. |
| Purchasing Managers Index | The PMI is the major component of the report on manufacturing activity issued monthly by the Institute for Supply Management. The institute also produces a separate monthly report on the non-manufacturing sector. The PMI is based on data compiled from monthly replies to questions asked of more than 370 purchasing and supply executives in 62 industries. |
| The Beige Book | Published eight times a year and described as a "Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District," The Beige Book contains recent anecdotal information on the national economy as well as on regional economies. |
| NABE Outlook | National Association for Business Economics (NABE) Industry Survey. This quarterly report gathers responses of 132 members to a survey on business conditions in their firm or industry. It looks most closely at conditions such as demand, prices, costs, wages, employment and profit margin. The survey also has started to track the effects of e-commerce on companies. |
| Temporary and contract labor | Every quarter, the American Staffing Association conducts a national survey of the nation's staffing firms. Historically the staffing sector has rebounded quickly as the economy emerges from a recession. In the early stages of a recovery, businesses increase their use of temporary and contract employees before they add their own staff. Click this link to keep track of news, trends and analyses in the staffing industry. |
| Help-Wanted Advertising Index | The Conference Board tracks help-wanted advertising volume monthly in 51 major newspapers across the country. Because ad volume has proven to be sensitive to labor market conditions, the index provides a gauge of change in the local, regional and national supply of jobs. |
| Corporate earnings pre-announcements | Like an early-warning system of business conditions, market analysts' estimates and companies' issuance of earnings warnings and revisions of profit estimates can give a quick read on what corporate executives are expecting for an industry. |
|
Copyright ©2000 HireSynergy.
All Rights Reserved.
|