phrase type - Now more than ever

I came across the sentence below in a book:

Now more than ever, leaders need to know how to navigate the rough waters of today's business environment.

I am struggling to figure out what kind of phrase is 'Now more than ever' and need some help. Clarification: I am not looking for the meaning of the above phrase. I would like to know the type of the phrase itself like absolute phrase, participial phrase and so on. Also some explanation of why it is a particular type would be helpful.

Solution 1:

"Now"is an adverb of time in front position followed by an adverbial comparative phrase which means frequency. (According to Michael Swan Practical English Usage )

Solution 2:

"Now more than ever" puts an emphasis on the present. In this example, perhaps thousands of years ago, there were no businesses. In the present, businesses have become increasingly important to society and therefore:

"Now more than ever" leaders need to learn to navigate the rough waters of a business environment.

Solution 3:

I think this must be easier for you: "At the present time, more than any time in the past, leaders need to learn to navigate the rough waters of a business environment."