White-Collar Labor
Indicator Study | Active | As of 2026-03-06 | Freshness 7d
White-Collar Labor is 'active' with a composite score of 52.7. The hottest components are Hiring deterioration 58.2, Claims spillover 57.0.
52.74
Score
7 day(s)
Freshness
2026-03-06
As Of
Component Scores
| Component | Score |
|---|---|
| Hiring deterioration | 58.21 |
| Hours softening | 32.97 |
| Claims spillover | 56.99 |
Current Drivers
| Driver | Component | Score | Raw | Transformed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional and business services job openings | Hiring deterioration | 61.56 | 1016.00 | 18.65 |
| Professional and business services hires | Hiring deterioration | 57.97 | 4.20 | 8.70 |
| Continuing unemployment claims | Claims spillover | 57.24 | 1868000.00 | 0.92 |
| Initial unemployment claims | Claims spillover | 56.73 | 213000.00 | -4.91 |
| Temporary-help employment | Hiring deterioration | 55.12 | 2447.40 | 3.20 |
| Average weekly hours in professional and business services | Hours softening | 32.97 | 36.60 | -0.55 |
Metrics
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Score | 52.74 |
| Freshness Days | 7 |
| Panel As Of Date | 2026-03-06 |
| Source As Of Date | 2026-02-28 |
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.
Notes
- Higher scores mean white-collar labor conditions look softer and more replacement-prone.
- Claims are weekly; payroll and JOLTS series are forward-filled to the weekly panel rather than upsampled with interpolation.
- Mechanism note: Replacement pressure shows up first through slower hiring, weaker hours, and then broader claims spillover rather than immediate mass unemployment.
- Freshness: the stalest source series in this study is 7 day(s) old.
Commentary
White‑Collar Labor remains in expansion territory at a composite score of 52.7, driven by elevated hiring deterioration and claims spillover.
- Hiring deterioration component at 58.2, supported by a 61.6 score for professional‑business services job openings (raw 1,016 openings).
- Claims spillover component at 57.0, with continuing unemployment claims scoring 57.2 (1.87 M claims) and initial claims at 56.7 (213 k claims).
- Hours softening remains subdued at 33.0, reflecting a slight decline in average weekly hours (36.6 hrs).
Caveat: The index is based on a 7‑day‑old panel and can be volatile, especially as recent weekly fluctuations show modest declines.