Non-Farm Payroll

It is the data, which is made public by the US Department of Labor and is published every month as part of a detailed report on the labor market status.

Author: Rohan Arora
Rohan Arora
Rohan Arora
Investment Banking | Private Equity

Mr. Arora is an experienced private equity investment professional, with experience working across multiple markets. Rohan has a focus in particular on consumer and business services transactions and operational growth. Rohan has also worked at Evercore, where he also spent time in private equity advisory.

Rohan holds a BA (Hons., Scholar) in Economics and Management from Oxford University.

Reviewed By: Osman Ahmed
Osman Ahmed
Osman Ahmed
Investment Banking | Private Equity

Osman started his career as an investment banking analyst at Thomas Weisel Partners where he spent just over two years before moving into a growth equity investing role at Scale Venture Partners, focused on technology. He's currently a VP at KCK Group, the private equity arm of a middle eastern family office. Osman has a generalist industry focus on lower middle market growth equity and buyout transactions.

Osman holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Southern California and a Master of Business Administration with concentrations in Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Economics from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Last Updated:November 11, 2023

What is Non-Farm Payroll?

In the U.S., manufacturing, construction, and goods-producing enterprises together go by the term of non-farm payroll employment. It excludes employees of farms, private households, and charitable organizations. 

The data, which is made public by the U.S. Department of Labor, is an important labor market indicator.

The United States Department of Labor publishes it monthly as part of a detailed report on the labor market status. It is a significant statistic and economic indicator.

The financial assets that are most impacted by the non-farm payroll (NFP) statistics are the U.S. dollar, stocks, and gold. Around the time the NFP data is announced, the markets respond quite swiftly and frequently in a highly turbulent way. 

The NFP numbers and the strength of the U.S. dollar have a very significant association according to short-term market movements. A little inverse relationship between the NFP data and the U.S. dollar index may be seen in historical price movement data.

Investors often respond to data fast, and there is a significant link between the information's publication and the subsequent movement of the market. Therefore, the amount is shown as an improvement over the prior month.

Preliminary figures are released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on the third Friday after the completion of the reference week, or the week that includes the 12th of the month; normally, this date falls on the first Friday of the month. 

The monthly Employment Situation, often known as the employment report, considers these payroll, which impacts the U.S. currency, foreign exchange, bond, and stock markets.

The number made public represents the change in NFP)from the prior month, and it typically ranges between +10,000 and +250,000 in non-recessionary periods. 

That figure is intended to reflect the number of jobs created or eliminated in the economy during the last month, excluding those associated with the farming sector.

Understanding Non-farm Payroll

The change in jobs over the previous month in the U.S. economy excludes agricultural workers, private home employees, and non-profits.

The United States Department of Labor publishes these figures, a crucial economic indicator.

Additional vital data may be found, such as the following: 

  1. The general unemployment rate of the United States
  2. The average hourly wages of workers
  3. Changes in a certain industry

Although the term "non-farm payrolls" implies that farm employees are not included in the figure, the BLS excludes several other groups from its calculations. 

Exclusions from Non-Farm Payroll

According to the BLS, non-farm employee categories make up around 80% of the U.S. business sectors that contribute to GDP. However, despite making up a sizable portion of the labor force in the United States, there are some notable exceptions in addition to farm workers:

1. Government employees

Although the government plays a significant role in the "Employment Situation" report each month, certain government employees are omitted. Civilian personnel falls under the government group. 

The military and those working for government-appointed officials are not included, though. 

Additionally excluded are those from the Defense Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, National Imagery and Mapping Agency, and Central Intelligence Agency.

2. Private houses

Domestic workers and employees of private households are not included.

3. Proprietors

Unincorporated business owners are frequently referred to as proprietors. This applies to independent contractors and single owners who don't have registered business incorporation (e.g., without limited liability corporation or partnership status).

4. Employees of non-profits

The NFP statistics do not take into account the non-profit sector, despite its size.

The non-farm report includes several other significant pieces of information, such as the unemployment rate, information on specific industries, average hourly wages, and changes to earlier announcements. All of these are significant to markets.

There is a lot of speculation before each report since several analysts publish projections for NFP statistics before the actual publication.

Non-Farm Payroll Interpretation

In general, job growth indicates that firms are expanding by hiring more employees and that newly hired individuals have money to spend on products and services, both of which contribute to growth. Conversely, reductions in employment have the opposite effect.

U.S. employment figures during 2011 indicated a persistent decline. 

Since the U.S. Federal Reserve links monetary policies with economic performance, such as the size of the quantitative easing program, the employment market has become a crucial area of concern for investors and market players. 

Due to this and the current climate, the market is susceptible to prominent NFP disclosures.

While the total number of jobs created or eliminated in the economy is unquestionably a crucial current indicator of how the economy is doing, the report also contains several additional data points that have the potential to affect financial markets:

1. What proportion of the total workforce the unemployment rate is in the economy

This is a crucial section of the report because the number of unemployed people is a reliable indicator of the state of the economy overall. 

The Fed pays close attention to this number because when it falls below a certain threshold—generally, anything below 5 percent—inflation is predicted to begin to creep up as companies raise prices to attract qualified workers. 

Because of the first price increase, workers could demand more pay in the future (particularly if the economy achieves full employment), leading to subsequent price increases. This is referred to as the price/wage spiral in macroeconomics.

2. Which industries produced the job growth or decline

This can alert traders to the economic sectors that may be poised for expansion when businesses in those sectors, like the housing industry, add employment.

3. Average pay per hour

This is crucial because it has a similar impact to adding or removing workers from the labor force if the same number of individuals are employed but are receiving more or less money for their job.

4. Revisions to earlier reports of NFPs

An important report component that can move markets as traders re-price growth expectations based on the revision to the previous number.

Examination of the Monthly Report

Following data reporting collection, the BLS publishes the frequently watched "Employment Situation" report on the first Friday of each month. The "Employment Situation" report from the BLS is always made public at around 8:30 a.m.

The Household Survey and the Establishment Survey, two in-depth surveys, are used to compile the monthly "Employment Situation" report. Consequently, one thorough monthly report is produced by combining two independent reports. 

The Household Survey offers information on employment demographics and the unemployment rate report. 

The NFP report, part of the BLS's "Employment Situation" report, provides the headline number of new non-farm payroll jobs created within the national economy.

The Household Survey's main elements are:

  • The level of unemployment
  • Unemployment rates by age, race, and education, as well as by gender and gender and age.
  • the causes of unemployment
  • Information on employment via alternative job kinds
  • The level of participation

The Establishment Survey section of the "Employment Situation" report, sometimes known as the "non-farm payrolls report," contains information on NFP increases. 

The Establishment Survey's essential elements include:

  • The total non-farm payrolls that entities added during the reporting month
  • NFP increases by industrial category: government, services, and nondurable goods
  • Information on hours worked
  • information about hourly wages on average

Employing Non-Farm Payroll as a Measure

It is a crucial economic indicator that a finance expert or market participant may use to determine if the U.S. economy is headed for a recession

When deciding whether to hold long or short positions in firms that affect the non-farm payroll can influence the entire strategy an investor employs.

Additionally, you might take a market position that could profit from the volatility when the NFP is announced on its regular Friday timetable if you believe it will be better or worse than predicted.

It can give an employee a glance into the present condition of various market sectors and whether they are recruiting if they are considering changing occupations or industries. It can assist in creating a strategy for your career and job search.

Other significant pieces of information are also included in the non-farm payroll report. However, the United States' total unemployment rate is the first. 

The second piece of information is the average hourly wage of workers in the labor force, and the third is the growth or decline of the designated sector, which provides traders and investors with a window into the economy's expanding and contracting sectors.

Investors learn about trades and potential positions thanks to this in-depth examination of employment statistics. The data on hourly pay may also be used to estimate future costs for businesses and the expansion of specific economic sectors.

Any active participant in the American economy must have a solid understanding of job generation patterns. 

Workers physically relocate across state boundaries due to shifting trends in the growth and fall of various industries. It is done partly following trends in the mentioned payrolls.

As market participants, we are responsible for analyzing trends that may have long-term effects on our careers. For example, the non-farm payroll patterns can aid our long-term growth and career paths when choosing our college major or what kind of business to launch.

How to Trade NFP?

How the markets respond to the data is heavily influenced by the consensus expectation for NFP, which is determined by the median expectation of a group of expert analysts. 

If the consensus is 200k and the final number is 205k, for example, there could not be much of a reaction to that number because it turned out to be virtually precisely what the market predicted. But the more important the response, the farther from the consensus.

The NFP report is receiving so much interest that experts from all over the financial blogosphere are making predictions about what will happen and how it will affect different financial instruments.

The Federal Open Market Committee's dual mandate of achieving maximum employment and maintaining stable prices is partially to blame for the significant response. 

The need for "maximum employment" means that the Fed uses the NFP to help predict future interest rates, which significantly influences the state of the economy.

The Fed would normally try to raise interest rates if job growth is high, providing inflation is under control, and vice versa if job growth is sluggish. However, expectations make it difficult to say if the NFP is strong or weak.

1. Before the release

When you make a trade before the number is released, you are utilizing deductive reasoning to foretell the market's direction before it occurs. 

Utilizing this method requires risk management since an unforeseen number may conceivably produce market gaps that would hypothetically jump right over any risk-minimization measures you have in place. 

To improve your chances, it is advisable to provide the instrument you select to trade a wide range of movement and oscillation. The majority of central banks throughout the globe like inflation to increase on an annual basis by between 2 and 3 percent.

2. After the release

Trading following the announcement requires a bit more caution but also carries more dangers. The market's daily movement may not always be determined by the initial, knee-jerk reaction to the NFP news. 

Markets can resemble a V-shape after the release of the NFP, with the spike moving in one way before reversing in the minutes or hours that follow.

Non-Farm Payroll Economic Analysis

The "Employment Situation" report's headline statistics are the non-farm payrolls figure and the unemployment rate. 

However, economists and decision-makers consider all the data at their disposal when determining the status of the economy now and predicting future levels of economic activity. 

The study offers numerous insightful observations on the labor force that directly affect the economy, stock market, value of the currency, value of Treasury bonds, and price of gold.

When examining the trend in the unemployment rate, participation rate, and other patterns that could be related to demography, economists examine the data from the Household Survey.

The Establishment Survey/NFP report provides a full sector breakdown, which provides insightful information on many industries. 

Different sorts of analysts may use sector-specific payroll data in their study. For example, stock analysts that report on stock sectors and earnings announcements frequently utilize this breakdown.

Statistics on non-farm payrolls also reveal which industries are growing and shrinking. Expanding sectors will provide more new payrolls, whereas shrinking sectors may have low or negative contributions, indicating a decline in employment availability.

The Establishment Survey's findings on wages and pay increases are also significant to economists. May typically has the highest rate of salary increase with an average of 129,000 more jobs. 

The worst month was August, which saw an average of 69,000 new employees added. With 3.85 million new employment added, 1994 was the best non-farm payroll year ever. 

The employment situation worsened in 2009, when 5.05 million jobs were lost, making it the worst year on record for non-farm payrolls. However, payroll employment increased by 2.6 million in 2018, compared to 2.2 million and 2.2 million gains in 2017 and 2016.

Summary

NFP is the change in jobs over the previous month in the U.S. economy that excludes agricultural workers, private home employees, and non-profits. 

The United States Department of Labor publishes these figures, a crucial economic indicator.

The study offers new information on the state of the job market and the general health of the American economy. For example, if the job market is expanding, more individuals will earn income, increasing consumer spending.

The largest measure of the economy, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), increases as expenditure increases. Therefore, employment statistics may also influence interest rates.

Because central banks' monetary policies are intended to strike a balance between inflation and growth, more employment typically results in higher interest rates. For F.X. traders, interest rates have a big role.

When trading these payrolls, traders must keep an eye on the market and watch experts' predictions to make better judgments.

The non-farm report includes several other significant pieces of information, such as the unemployment rate, information on specific industries, average hourly wages, and changes to earlier announcements. All of these are significant to markets.

There is a lot of speculation before each report since many analysts publish projections for NFP statistics before the actual publication.

Research and authored by Ankit Sinha | LinkedIn

Reviewed and edited by Aditya Salunke I LinkedIn

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