If you’re only focused on a few economic metrics to run your business, you may miss what’s right in front of you that can help you course correct and drive growth. Some useful economic indicators don’t show up in financial news. Others get media coverage, but leaders may overlook them thinking “that doesn’t apply to us.”
We asked members of the Fast Company Impact Council what economic indicators companies should pay more attention to. Fifteen of them weighed in with the data they think deserves more attention or a closer reading.
1. SPEED OF REGULATORY CHANGES
I believe we should focus on the speed of regulatory changes rather than traditional charts and data. In fast-paced fields like artificial intelligence and data, rules change so quickly that companies often struggle to keep up. A business might look successful today, but one new regulation can completely change what it is allowed to do. Therefore, watching regulatory trends gives you a better view of your future than looking at quarterly financial reports. Companies that pay attention to these changes early stay ahead, while others are left striving to catch up. — Denas Grybauskas, Oxylabs
2. HEALTHCARE COSTS
The fastest growing, least managed, and most unsustainable cost for business today is healthcare. The United States spends more than $5 trillion on healthcare each year. Companies are experiencing significant cost increases with no end in sight. Employers have the power to break—not just bend—the cost curve, and they may be the only ones who do. Leveraging innovative and AI-powered benefits solutions, employers can take the power into their own hands and build a future that makes it easy for their people to access high-quality, affordable healthcare while reducing costs to their businesses. — Glen Tullman, Transcarent
3. LABOR-FORCE PARTICIPATION RATES
I suggest that companies pay close attention to the labor-force participation rate. Especially by region and demographic group. The unemployment rate is calculated only from people in the labor force who are working or actively seeking employment. Participation shows how much of the population is engaged. Leaders should pair occupation-level job postings, skills, and wage data to create a clear picture of labor supply and where talent pipelines are breaking down. — Paul Toomey, Geographic Solutions
4. AI TIME-TO-FIRST REVENUE
Artificial intelligence is dramatically compressing the distance from idea to first dollar, so it’s crucial to measure your company’s time-to-first revenue. In science and deep technology, AI is poised to accelerate discovery and R&D: There, the measure to watch is cost per experiment. Every physical experiment tends to cost months and serious money, but AI models and automation are beginning to compress that loop and its cost by orders of magnitude. Cost per experiment sets how many shots on goal you get before the money runs out. Measuring and managing that cost can help you turn your moonshot into an investable venture. — Andrea Carafa, UC Santa Cruz
5. COST AND AVAILABILITY OF MONEY
For companies connected to real estate, design, construction, or other capital projects, the most revealing indicator is often the cost and availability of money—not simply the headline interest rate. Credit conditions influence whether organizations can fund expansion, workplace investment, and transformation. But financial signals should be read alongside policy direction and workforce expectations. The numbers tell us what is possible. Cultural and political context helps reveal what is likely. — Susan Watts, SPACECRAFT
6. TEACHER RETENTION DATA
An unexpected economic indicator is teacher retention data. It sounds like an education metric, but it’s a regional workforce indicator hiding in plain sight. A district losing experienced teachers loses the pipeline that feeds local employers—the students who would have graduated ready for skilled trades, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, or technology roles. Companies track unemployment and job openings closely. Few track teacher attrition, even though it moves years ahead of the labor numbers everyone else watches. The right question for any company hiring in a given region: Is the local teacher shortage about to become our hiring shortage? — Kellie Lauth, MindSpark
7. INDICATORS THAT DRIVE THEIR BUSINESS
No single economic indicator matters in isolation because every indicator is ultimately a proxy for human behavior. Companies should focus on the indicators that best reflect the people who drive their business—customers, employees, investors, or partners—and interpret them through the lens of their mission, strategy, and objectives. Purpose first, systems second. Tools, including economic indicators, only have value when they improve decisions. — Andrea Montecchi, Oliver Wight Americas
8. FOUR INDICATORS OF A PRODUCTIVE WORKFORCE
Strong health systems, education access, food security, and resilient local infrastructure are leading indicators of a productive workforce and a stable economy. Investing in children isn’t separate from economic growth. It’s a strong predictor of both. — Michele Walsh, UNICEF USA
9. THOSE THAT AFFECT YOUR CUSTOMER
If you’re selling toys to parents, watch wages, childcare costs, and consumer sentiment, not headline GDP. We build software for founders and small teams, so I track small business optimism and early-stage funding activity. Those indicators tell me whether clients will greenlight new work next quarter. Pick the two or three indicators that predict your customers’ willingness to spend and let the rest be noise. — Lindsey Witmer Collins, WLCM App Studio
10. DIRECTION OF LIQUIDITY
I think companies should pay more attention to the direction of liquidity, not just headline economic data. Interest rates, lending conditions, and access to capital often shape customer and investor behavior before the impact appears in revenue or employment numbers. When liquidity tightens, even strong businesses can feel pressure quickly. Understanding where capital is flowing can give leaders an earlier read on where the economy is heading. — George Kailas, Prospero.ai
11. INFLATION
I am paying closer attention to inflation, particularly how it affects price-capped partner ecosystems. In the music industry, for instance, subscription pricing at streaming giants like Spotify and Apple cannot shift overnight, creating a margin squeeze that demands immediate operational agility. — Logan Mulvey, GoDigital Music
12. LEVERAGE
People forget it works both ways. Keeping an eye on debt levels is the most honest indicator we have for spotting fragility before things break. — Khozema Shipchandler, Twilio
13. COST OF LIVING
One economic indicator that companies should pay closer attention to is the cost of living. When was the last time you considered your team’s financial reality? Student debt, caregiving, childcare, and rising costs don’t stay at home. They show up at work. If salaries aren’t keeping pace, employees notice. Senior leaders and executives are often insulated from these pressures, but their teams experience the daily strain of rising costs. We have a responsibility to ensure compensation reflects today’s economic realities. It’s not only the right thing to do. It’s also a smarter strategy than absorbing the high costs of turnover. — Edgar Villanueva, Decolonizing Wealth Project
14. THE GREAT WEALTH TRANSFER
Roughly $124 trillion is expected to move between generations over the next 20 years, and most families are not prepared to receive it. That’s a leading indicator for demand across financial services, legal, and family wellness. Our 2026 Estate Planning Report found 56% of Americans still have no estate planning documents in place. That gap tells you where consumer confidence, wealth preservation, and financial literacy are headed. — Cody Barbo, Trust & Will
15. TRUST
I think companies should pay closer attention to trust as an economic indicator. We often look at growth, spend, demand, key performance indicators, or consumer confidence, but trust is what sits underneath all of it. When people don’t trust institutions, brands, media, or leadership, everything becomes more expensive: acquisition, retention, communication, reputation, even internal alignment. For me, trust is an essential business asset. The brands that build trust consistently will have a real competitive advantage, especially in a more uncertain world. — Virtyt Pula, TOML Collective