The Conference Board (11/12/2013)

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index declined in October. The index now stands at 113.65, down from a downwardly revised 114.68 in September. The ETI figure for October is 4.9% higher than a year ago.

“Like many other economic indicators, the October decline of the Employment Trends Index was partially due to the government shutdown,” says Gad Levanon, director of macroeconomic research at the Conference Board. “The latest job numbers do in fact show some strengthening in the employment trend. But as domestic demand was weaker than expected in the third quarter, we might see some moderation in employment growth in the coming months.”

October’s decline in the ETI was driven by negative contributions from four of its eight components. The decreasing indicators—from the largest negative contributor to the smallest—were initial claims for unemployment insurance, consumer confidence survey percentage of respondents who say they find “jobs hard to get,” ratio of involuntarily part-time to all part-time workers, and job openings.