– When you see jobs reports and other employment data, what period of time does this reporting actually reflect?

Question

When we see all these jobs numbers – job openings, unemployment rate and claims, hiring, non-farm payroll, etc. – what period of time do these reports reflect?

I know these reports lag and do not capture the present state of the economy. For instance, recessions are often declared 3-6 months after they actually happen.

How much of a lag do these reports typically reflect – 4 weeks? 3 months? 6 months?

In: 4

Answer 1

The jobs/employment data is typically monthly, for the previous month. So numbers coming out now would be September data.