US Conference Board Employment Trends Index rises to 108.53 in August

The Conference Board’s Employment Trends Index climbed to 108.53 in August, up from a revised 107.76 in July. That marks the second straight month of increases for the composite indicator, which aggregates eight separate labor market signals into a single forward-looking number.

On a year-over-year basis, the ETI improved 2.0% compared to August 2025 levels.

What’s driving the improvement

The ratio of involuntary part-time workers to all part-time workers dropped to 16.2% from 17.4%.

The share of respondents saying jobs are “hard to get” fell to 19.5%, down from a revised 21.7%.

Temporary-help services employment added 6,800 positions in August.

Conference Board Economic Data Scientist Associate Conrad Qi noted that all components contributed positively on average over the past six months, pointing to broadly strong job growth rather than improvement concentrated in a single area.

The less cheerful signals

Two components pushed back against the optimism. Initial claims for unemployment insurance rose during the month.

Job openings also declined, falling 26,000 to 7.24 million. At the same time, the share of firms reporting difficulty filling positions increased.

Broader labor market context

The ETI release landed alongside the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Situation report for August, which showed the economy adding 162,000 nonfarm jobs. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%.

The ETI itself is built from eight indicators drawn from official sources including the BLS, the Census Bureau, and state unemployment agencies.

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