U.S. Jobs and Labor Tracker
Key Takeaways
In the first two weeks of July, the unemployment index eased, moving from 94.7 at the end of June to 92.3 in the middle of July. The unemployment index remains below the neutral rate of 100. Compared to last month's BLS reference period (through the 12th of the month) unemployment index is lower in July, indicating that joblessness did not rise month over month.
Unlike most of 2025, joblessness rose among prime-age males. Aside from a bump up in March, the unemployment index among prime-age males have been trending down for most of 2025. In the last two weeks, joblessness rose for this cohort, while the unemployment index for prime-age females fell. It is too early to call this a trend, but the opposite movements among prime-age females and males cancelled each other out, providing "no-change" for prime-age unemployment index.
For the second half the year, concerns about increasing unemployment rate are rising. The continued claims for unemployment insurance have been on an upward trajectory since May. It is now at the levels last seen in November 2021. The rise in continuing claims is worrisome for unemployment as turnover rate remains low.
Data Downloads
Pro+ subscribers are able to download the datasets that underpin Morning Consult Pro's reports and analysis. Contact us to get access.
Unemployment Index
Since August 2020, Morning Consult has been gathering daily data on the employment status of U.S. consumers. Although the methodology differs, this survey uses the same definition as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine the national unemployment rate. Consequently, Morning Consult’s high-frequency data provides valuable insights into real-time joblessness fluctuations.
The Unemployment Index is designed with ease of interpretation in mind. The index’s base value of 100 is intended to be consistent with a “neutral” (or, in economic terms, natural) unemployment rate. This value would equate to the lowest level of joblessness the economy could theoretically sustain without triggering elevated inflation.
More about the construction of the index and the methodology can be found here.
About the survey:
- Began fielding: Aug. 15, 2020
- Frequency: Daily, typically reported as a 4-week moving average
- Fielding period: 4 a.m. ET to 3 a.m. ET the following day
- Sample size: Over 15,000 adults per day globally (over 5,000 per day in
the United States) - Geographic coverage: Over 40 countries
*Please note that only select demographics are displayed here. Pro+ and MCI clients can download the interactive data files to analyze additional demographics.
Demographic breakout
Job Search Activity
Morning Consult's U.S. Job Search Activity data provides an always-on gauge of the jobs market by asking about job search activity, providing enhanced scale, frequency and depth compared with traditional data sets. The question is asked in over 40 countries, while this chart pack provides data on only the United States.
- Began fielding: Aug. 15, 2020
- Frequency: Daily, typically reported as a 4-week moving average
- Fielding period: 4 a.m. ET to 3 a.m. ET the following day
- Sample size: Over 15,000 adults per day globally (over 5,000 per day in
the United States) - Geographic coverage: Over 40 countries
*Please note that only select demographics are displayed here. Pro+ clients can download the interactive data files to analyze additional demographics.
** This data is part of Morning Consult's daily tracker. MCI clients can access this data on a daily frequency by desired Audience (demographic, psychographic and usage questions), Brand, Economic and Political cuts.
Job Search Activity
Email [email protected] to speak with a member of the Morning Consult team.
