Productivity-Payroll Gap
Indicator Study | Active | As of 2026-04-03 | Freshness 145d
Productivity-Payroll Gap is 'active' with a composite score of 60.2. The hottest components are Labor-share squeeze 67.4, Productivity acceleration 57.8.
Component Scores
| Component | Score |
|---|---|
| Productivity acceleration | 57.79 |
| Labor-share squeeze | 67.43 |
| Hours-output decoupling | 54.54 |
Current Drivers
| Driver | Component | Score | Raw | Transformed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business-sector labor-share proxy | Labor-share squeeze | 100.00 | -3.30 | 950.00 |
| Output per hour, nonfarm business | Productivity acceleration | 57.79 | 120.02 | 2.24 |
| Output per hour, nonfarm business | Hours-output decoupling | 57.79 | 120.02 | 2.24 |
| Business-sector hours proxy | Hours-output decoupling | 51.29 | 0.20 | 50.00 |
| Unit labor costs, nonfarm business | Labor-share squeeze | 34.87 | 124.02 | 1.43 |
Metrics
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Score | 60.19 |
| Freshness Days | 145 |
| Panel As Of Date | 2026-04-03 |
| Source As Of Date | 2026-04-01 |
| Excess Productivity Vs 2015 2019 Trend | 6.42 |
Charts
Component contribution bars
Higher scores indicate more replacement pressure or fragility for this study.
Normalized history panel
All lines are scored on the same 0-100 scale using trailing z-scores on a weekly Friday panel.
Trend-break overlay
This chart compares current productivity against a simple pre-2020 trend baseline.
Notes
- Higher scores mean productivity is outpacing payroll-linked measures by more than usual.
- The trend-break overlay is descriptive and compares current productivity against a simple 2015-2019 linear trend.
- Mechanism note: A wider productivity-payroll gap is the macro footprint of firms getting more output per worker-hour without comparable labor-income follow-through.
- Freshness: the stalest source series in this study is 145 day(s) old.
Commentary
The Productivity-Payroll Gap is active at a composite score of 60.2, driven by a high-intensity Labor-share squeeze (67.4) and Productivity acceleration (57.8).
- Composite score: 60.19 (as of 2026-04-03), up from ~45.7 in 2021.
- Labor-share squeeze component: 67.4 (raw transformed=950, raw value=-3.3) signaling a declining labor share of income.
- Productivity acceleration component: 57.8 (raw transformed=2.24, raw value=120.0) contributing an excess of +6.4 percentage points versus the 2015-2019 trend.
Caveat: The index relies on lagged proxy series and transformed values; recent volatility may reflect measurement error rather than a sustained structural change.