`get_unemployment`

Pack: econdata · Endpoint: https://gateway.pipeworx.io/econdata/mcp

The US unemployment rate over time, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Tool description as the model sees it

Get the US civilian unemployment rate over time (Bureau of Labor Statistics) — the percentage of the labor force currently unemployed. Use this for “unemployment rate” / “jobless rate” queries. Returns monthly values by year and month.

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`start_year`	string	no	Start year as 4-digit string (e.g. “2020”). Optional.
`end_year`	string	no	End year as 4-digit string (e.g. “2024”). Optional.
`_apiKey`	string	no	Optional BLS registration key (free, raises the daily cap from ~25 to 500). The gateway supplies a platform key; pass your own only to override.

Example call

Arguments

{
  "start_year": "2019",
  "end_year": "2024"
}

curl

curl -X POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/econdata/mcp \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"get_unemployment","arguments":{"start_year":"2019","end_year":"2024"}}}'

TypeScript (@pipeworx/sdk)

import { Pipeworx } from '@pipeworx/sdk';
const pipeworx = new Pipeworx();

const result = await pipeworx.call('get_unemployment', {
  "start_year": "2019",
  "end_year": "2024"
});

Response shape

Always returns: series_id, description, unit, start_year, end_year, total, data

Field	Type	Description
`series_id`	string	BLS series ID (LNS14000000)
`description`	string	Series description
`unit`	string	Unit of measurement (percent)
`start_year`	string \| null	Start year filter if provided, null otherwise
`end_year`	string \| null	End year filter if provided, null otherwise
`total`	integer	Number of data points returned. Equal to `returned` — BLS returns every point in the requested year range.
`returned`	integer	How many data points are in `data`. Always equal to `total` here; stated so a caller need not assume it.
`observation_order`	string	Order of the `data` array. BLS returns each series newest-first.
`data`	array	Monthly unemployment rate data

Full JSON Schema

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "series_id": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "BLS series ID (LNS14000000)"
    },
    "description": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Series description"
    },
    "unit": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Unit of measurement (percent)"
    },
    "start_year": {
      "type": [
        "string",
        "null"
      ],
      "description": "Start year filter if provided, null otherwise"
    },
    "end_year": {
      "type": [
        "string",
        "null"
      ],
      "description": "End year filter if provided, null otherwise"
    },
    "total": {
      "type": "integer",
      "description": "Number of data points returned. Equal to `returned` — BLS returns every point in the requested year range."
    },
    "returned": {
      "type": "integer",
      "description": "How many data points are in `data`. Always equal to `total` here; stated so a caller need not assume it."
    },
    "observation_order": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": [
        "newest_first"
      ],
      "description": "Order of the `data` array. BLS returns each series newest-first."
    },
    "data": {
      "type": "array",
      "description": "Monthly unemployment rate data",
      "items": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "year": {
            "type": "string",
            "description": "Year of the observation"
          },
          "month": {
            "type": "string",
            "description": "Month name (e.g., January)"
          },
          "period": {
            "type": "string",
            "description": "Period code (e.g., M01)"
          },
          "rate": {
            "type": "number",
            "description": "Unemployment rate as percentage"
          }
        },
        "required": [
          "year",
          "month",
          "period",
          "rate"
        ]
      }
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "series_id",
    "description",
    "unit",
    "start_year",
    "end_year",
    "total",
    "data"
  ]
}

Connect

Add this to your MCP client config, or use one-click install buttons:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "econdata": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/econdata/mcp"
    }
  }
}

See Getting Started for client-specific install steps.

get_unemployment