The data set on “Average Weekly Hours of All Employees: Total Private in St. Louis, MO-IL (MSA)” is curated by Trading Economics, a financial and economic data platform that compiles indicators from government sources. The primary source of this data is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) through its Current Employment Statistics (CES) program. The CES conducts surveys with businesses and government agencies to track employment, hours, and earnings trends.

The primary goal of this data set is to provide insights into labor market trends in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Policymakers, economists, and businesses use it to understand workforce dynamics, assess economic health, and inform decision-making. The data has been applied in economic reports, industry studies, and regional workforce analyses to evaluate economic growth and stability.

The data set is formatted as a time series, recording the average weekly hours worked by private-sector employees at regular intervals. This structure makes it easy to analyze trends over time, but the data set lacks details on industry-specific trends, demographic breakdowns, or distinctions between full-time and part-time employees.

The BLS applies rigorous data cleaning processes, including seasonal adjustments and validation methods. However, there are still potential sources of error, such as sampling limitations and revisions to initial data. The way Trading Economics presents the data could also introduce bias, as commercial platforms may highlight certain trends over others.

The data’s structure and intent influence how it can be used. Since it only tracks total private-sector employees, it may not capture sector-specific shifts or employment disparities within the workforce. A deeper analysis would require combining this data with other sources, such as wage trends or employment rates by industry.

This data set is useful for tracking labor trends, particularly for identifying economic expansions or contractions based on changes in work hours. However, its limitations require careful interpretation, ensuring that conclusions about the St. Louis labor market are contextualized within broader economic data.