National Employment & Elasticity Deficit (NEED)
The NEED Index is WorkWhile’s weekly measure of labor shortages, observed through our marketplace. It’s the first of its kind: a high-frequency indicator built from shift-level data rather than surveys.
Why NEED matters for the economy
It measures unmet demand, not intentions
NEED tracks shift hours employers requested but couldn’t fill, how long shifts sat unclaimed, and the wage premium needed to fill them. Job postings and surveys only capture intent.
A weekly early warning signal
Updated weekly from live shift data, NEED shows tightening in the labor market as it happens, rather than weeks later in monthly government reports like JOLTS.
Interpreting NEED
A NEED reading around 100 indicates a balanced market. Above 110, employers need more workers than are readily available. Below 90, workers are competing for fewer shifts.
Method at a glance
Population
All shift slots requested by employers on WorkWhile.
Calculation
Each of the three pillars (Unmet Headcount Deficit, Supply-Constrained Fill Time and Clearing Wage Premium) is standardized, then weighted and combined into a single index. A reading around 100 indicates a balanced market.
Unmet Headcount Deficit
The share of requested shift hours that go unfilled. Requested hours are workers needed times paid shift length, and worked hours are capped at what was requested.
Supply-Constrained Fill Time
Median time from when a shift opens to when a worker is scheduled, compared with the same week a year earlier. Unfilled slots count the full notice window, so the hardest shifts to fill stay in the measure.
Clearing Wage Premium
The percentage by which total pay at clearing rates exceeds total pay at posted base rates, across filled shifts. The clearing rate includes company-paid bonuses that were active when the worker accepted.
Frequency
Calculated weekly from shift-level data.
