An important white paper has just been released which explores the deleterious effect the firing of the BLS Commissioner on Aug 1, 2025 had on the U.S. economy. Reliable statistics matter! @ericagroshen.bsky.social www.nber.org/papers/w35135

BLS engages expert panels regarding missing Consumer Expenditure data. The panels are open to the public and will be held virtually on May 7th (NABE) & May 8th (CNSTAT). www.bls.gov/bls/bls-enga...

COPAFS is hiring an Outreach Specialist to support the Friends of BLS. Looking for an experienced advocate with knowledge of federal economic data and strong relationships with R/D Hill offices. See details at: copafs.org/friends-of-b...

The Friends of BLS released a one-page summary of their FY27 Budget Priorities today. The Friends urge Congress to provide no less than $754 million for BLS in FY 2027. tinyurl.com/4ujr5d6p

The Friends of BLS have released an explanation for the causes for the annual revisions of the BLS Jobs Numbers. www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2026...

The Friends of BLS have released a statement on the nomination of Brett Matsumoto for BLS Commissioner which outlines criteria useful in evaluation of any nominee for this position. www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2026...

Friends of BLS has 2 new statements 1. On @brettmatsumoto.bsky.social’s Nomination for @usbls.bsky.social Commissioner 2. Annual Revisions for BLS Jobs Numbers Expected To Be Downward: The Causes Explained Two former commishs, appointees of Pres. Obama & Trump, co-chair Friends of BLS. Detail ⬇️

The Trump Administration has nominated Brett Matsumoto as the next BLS Commissioner. He has been a research economist at BLS since 2015 in the Division of Price and Index Number Research and recently served on the CEA.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our webinar, The Day Federal Data Went Dark: A Year of Monitoring and Action. We are grateful to be in a community with so many amazing organizations. You can watch the recording to learn about more than a dozen efforts to monitor and safeguard federal data.

NEW: The White House's Office of Management and Budget has a new chief statistician overseeing the Census Bureau & other federal statistical agencies, according to StatsPolicy.gov. Stuart Levenbach has replaced Mark Calabria, according to the website's "About Us" page statspolicy.gov/about/#members

Reducing max contact attempts to 2, would have dramatically reduced response to data collection efforts at Census.

New statement from Friends of BLS: "Some controversy...erupted on Dec. 30 following release of a highly informative Q&A that addressed how [BLS] estimated the Nov. 2025 CPI. We..find no reason to see the hand of politics anywhere in the Bureau’s CPI work..." www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2025...

Real GDP increased at an annual rate of 4.3 percent in the third quarter of 2025 (July, August, and September), according to the initial estimate released by BEA today. In the second quarter, real GDP increased 3.8 percent. www.bea.gov

The @asa-scipol.bsky.social will release "The Nation's Data at Risk: 2025 Report" tomorrow, Dec 10 at 7AM EST. The report will be available at the project website (link in comments). ASA will also host a webinar on the report tomorrow at 10AM EST. amstat.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Hard disagree. The official BLS jobs numbers are still the most reliable data we have, and it's not close. And there's no way the Administration has (yet) fiddled with its data. I promise to let you know at the first whiff of interference.

Looking forward to participating in this Congressional Briefing on U.S. birth rates with @econmsk.bsky.social & @prbdata.bsky.social's Jennifer Sciubba next week, sponsored by @popassocamerica.bsky.social. If you're in the DC area, join us! RSVP here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Friends of BLS letter to Congressional approps "Bureau’s data releases affect the nation’s economy significantly & it is paramount that they remain accurate, timely, & relevant.... request that the Bureau receive the allocation determined by the House..." static1.squarespace.com/static/5bedb...

There is still time to Register for the COPAFS Quarterly Meeting on Dec 5. We will begin the day at 9:30AM. www.eventbrite.com/e/copafs-qua...

Revised Release Dates for BLS Data Products. www.bls.gov/bls/2025-lap...

The 2026 Privacy and Public Policy Conf. will be held on Feb 9 & 10 at Gtown Univ. The prog comm is now accepting submissions for presenters thru Dec 15. Privacy experts, researchers, data stewards, data practitioners, and public policymakers are all welcome! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

PAA is hosting a Congressional Briefing on Dec 10 in 2075 Rayburn. The briefing is entitled "US Birth Rate Trends: Patterns Drivers and Implications for American Families." And yes, ice cream will be made available. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Breaking news: The SEPTEMBER JOBS REPORT comes out on THURSDAY., Nov. 20. BLS will announce revised news release dates on this page as they become available. #econsky @aaronsojourner.org www.bls.gov/bls/2025-lap...

The #FriendsofBLS has posted FAQs which explain what is likely to happen with reagrd to BLS data collection and releases. both during and after the shutdown. www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2025...

The #FriendsofBLS are seeking organizational and individual support for their FY26 BLS Endorsement Letter which asks for no less than the House mark of $714M for the Bureau. Link to orginizational sign-on below; individual sign-on form in comments. forms.gle/z9RacEBDAbEY...

🚨It's finally here!🚨 AAPOR's Taskforce on 2024 Pre-Election Polling report is out! Full report: /https://aapor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AAPOR-Task-Force-on-2024-Pre-Election-Polling_Report.pdf Executive summary: aapor.org/wp-content/u...

On Oct 23, the #FriendsofBLS hosted a webinar featuring @ericagroshen.bsky.social, @erikamcentarfer.bsky.social and Bill Beach giving an update on BLS and #FriendsofBLS activities as well as issuing a call to action. www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2025...

Dont forget to register for the #FriendsofBLS webinar this Thursday at 12p!

The #FriendsofBLS will hold a webinar on Oct 23 at noon. Former Commissioners Erica Groshen, William Beach, and Erika McEntarfer will offer updates, describe strategies, and offer a menu of concrete ways for interested members to engage with Friends of BLS. us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Great opinion piece in #thehill: 'Now is not the time to stop measuring food insecurity'. "By not collecting data, we will lack a systematic understanding of the size and distribution of food insecurity in 2025 and efforts to address the need will be less effective." thehill.com/opinion/fina...

#BLS announced this morning that the September 2025 Consumer Price Index (CPI) will be released at 8:30AM on Friday, Oct 24. No other releases will be scheduled until the federal government shutdown is over. www.bls.gov/bls/092025-c...

#BLS has delayed the 2024 Consumer Expenditures Survey annual release. This is likely due to the severe understaffing in the agency. Staff losses and hiring freeze are taking their toll. www.bls.gov/cex/notices/... #econsky

TODAY at 2p ET: The Independent Census Scientific Advisory Committee Fall Meeting. www.censusscientific.org/meetings/fal...

3 ways to honor the fearless Bureau of Labor Statistics staff -JOIN Friends of BLS & invite others www.friendsofbls.org -LEARN and reassure yourself & others that BLS data are good AND could be better w/ adequate support from Congress & White House -PARTICIPATE in BLS surveys--you & your employer

Friends of BLS Statement of Support for the BLS Mission and its Staff. "The [benchmark data] revision reflects BLS doing its job: providing accurate, objective information regardless of political consequences." www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2025...

COPAFS Statement on the Administration's Reaction to BLS Benchmark Data Revisions "Today’s claims regarding BLS are groundless and may cause further harm to the Bureau’s ability to carry out its work." copafs.org/copafs-state...

Have questions about BLS and the monthly jobs report? The Friends of BLS have you covered with insightful answers to FAQs. www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2025...

@popassocamerica.bsky.social invites you to an in-person congressional briefing, "U.S. Birth Rate Trends: Patterns, Drivers, and Implications for American Families", on Wednesday, October 8, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in 2075 Rayburn House Office Building. www.populationassociation.org/events/event...

Georgiou got his PhD is econ at UMich. When he did his job as leader of Greece's statistical agency, he told inconvenient economic truths. For that, politicians had him sued & criminally prosecuted. Read to find out where it led and implications for the U.S. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/o...

John Cassidy of the @newyorker.com makes the case for an independent BLS. @ericagroshen.bsky.social and Bill Beach weigh in. #econsky #friendsofbls www.newyorker.com/news/the-fin...

#EconSky #NumbersDay

Friends of BLS Statement on the Nomination of E.J. Antoni to Serve as the 17th Commissioner of BLS www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2025...

"The Bureau of Labor Statistics shall also collect, collate, report and publish at least once per month full and complete statistics on the volume of and changes in employment, as indicated by the number of people employed, the total wages paid, and the total hours of employment." US law--1913, 1930

Two former BLS commissioners, @ericagroshen.bsky.social appointed by Obama and William Beach by Trump, lay out the principles and standards against which any BLS commissioner nominee, such as Dr. E.J. Antoni, should be measured. www.linkedin.com/posts/erica-...

“Losing trust in government statistics wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it would be the end of the world as we know it.” Sobering thoughts for investors and others from Jeff Sommer. What if You Can’t Believe the Official Numbers? www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/b... #econsky @aaronsojourner.org

Frauke Kreuter giving a deeply informed and rousing defense of the U.S. federal statistical agencies and community at #user2025, with a clear-eyed view of its challenges user2025.r-project.org/program/in-p...

"Private companies are not in the business of creating public goods, which is what economic statistics from the government are." says @claudia-sahm.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti... #econsky

Statement on Safeguarding the Integrity of Federal Statistics from the National Academies www.nationalacademies.org/news/2025/08...

Vacancy rate for #BLS top leaders=33%. --35 top positions --11 positions are vacant www.bls.gov/bls/senior_s... Including the Commissioner adds 1 to both counts. Vacancy rate=12/36 BLS soldiers on, despite early retirements, deferred resignations, and the hiring freeze. #econsky #economy

Trump announces new rules for college admissions data, revamping IPEDS data collection and reporting. www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...

AAPOR Statement on the Removal of BLS Commissioner McEntarfer. Read the complete statement here: aapor.org/statements/a...