Main Street Macro: The next Fed rate cut might disappoint

 

Employee sentiment rose in May

May 21, 2024

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May 2024

The ADP Research Institute Employee Motivation and Commitment Index rose to 116 in May, nearly recovering from April’s 11-point decline.

Finance and insurance sentiment reached an all-time high of 115. Manufacturing rose 41 points, gaining back a decline from April. Transportation and warehousing, which has been rising since February, reached 150, a 33-point month-over-month swing.

“Finance is an industry that is highly sensitive to interest rates because rates affect borrowing costs and the volume of activity in the sector. Even with rates at their highest levels in more than two decades, hiring was solid in April, which might explain the optimism in the finance sector,” said Dr. Mary Hayes, director of People and Performance Research at the ADP Research Institute.

The Employee Motivation and Commitment Index tracks how people think and feel about their jobs and employers. By providing a real-time measure of the state of worker allegiance, it can tell us whether workers are flourishing in their jobs or detaching.

The ADP Research Institute publishes the EMC Index on the third Tuesday of every month. The next release will be June 18. For EMC Index historical data, visit ADPRI’s Data Lab.