BLS data problems worse than anyone thought -Issues & Insights By Monica Showalter

[mystery-ak]

August 12, 2025
BLS data problems worse than anyone thought -Issues & Insights
By Monica Showalter

For most of us, the huge revisions in Bureau of Labor Statistics standards was reason enough for President Trump to fire its director.

After all, the Federal Reserve sets its benchmark interest rates, affecting the entire economy, based on this data. It really needs to be something close to accurate.

Being a survey, it isn't always perfect. But it ought to be close. Pollsters, after all, can get pretty close. IBD/TIPP always gets close.

Turns out BLS hasn't been close, not by a longshot, according to historic research dating to 2009, from Issues & Insights, who are my old colleagues from the Investor's Business Daily editorial page, when they had one:

We decided to find out and reviewed the BLS’s monthly jobs data going back to 2009. What we found was deeply troubling.

more
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/08/bls_data_problems_worse_than_anyone_thought_issues_insights.html

[DefiantMassRINO]

Could some of this information be gleaned from aggregated, anonymized IRS paycheck withholding data?

If I'm not employed, there's no paycheck and no tax withholding.

Such data could be used to identify trends and trend directions.

The Government sits atop more data than it knows what to do with.

Maybe Government needs to make anonymized data available to the Dreaded Private Sector to analyze and report on.  Big Balls may be able to whip up something.

It's the Dreaded Private Sector that requires timely and accurate information to make optimal business decisions.

Government does not have the urgency of profit and loss to drive improvements and efficiencies.  To Government officials, gathering and reporting statistics is an academic exercise.  If they get the numbers wrong, they can always revise them later - no big whoop.

Businesses cannot revise lost time, lost money, and lost opportunities.