Trump’s Labor Statistics Chief Calls for Quarterly Jobs Reports

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), E.J. Antoni, suggested that the agency should suspend its monthly jobs reports in favor of a less frequent quarterly assessment. This statement followed Trump’s announcement of Antoni’s nomination on Monday.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Antoni emphasized the need for improved reporting methods before resuming monthly data releases. He stated, “Until it is corrected, the BLS should suspend issuing the monthly jobs reports, but keep publishing the more accurate, though less timely, quarterly data.” Currently, Antoni serves as the chief economist at The Heritage Foundation.

Trump’s decision to dismiss former BLS chief Erika McEntarfer on Aug. 1 was controversial. He accused her of manipulating data to harm his administration’s efforts, although he did not provide any evidence to support this claim. The dismissal came in the wake of a disappointing jobs report for July, which included significant downward revisions to previously reported job gains for May and June.

Economist Elizabeth Renter from NerdWallet criticized the proposal to suspend monthly reports, asserting that these assessments are crucial for understanding labor market conditions. She noted, “The biggest revisions to jobs data often happen when the economy hits a turning point. To slow the availability of the data at such a juncture could severely hamper the ability of the Fed to conduct effective monetary policy.”

Jobless claims for the week ending Aug. 9 were reported at 224,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week’s revised figure. The four-week moving average increased slightly to 221,750, indicating fluctuations in the labor market.

As for unemployment rates, the rate edged up to 4.2% in July from 4.1% in June, according to the BLS data released on Aug. 1. This increase raises concerns among analysts, as the earlier months of 2023 had seen lower unemployment rates.

Despite the cooling labor market and modest job growth, Renter conveyed a mixed outlook. “Fewer jobs are being added, hiring continues to slow and workers aren’t quitting with the expectation of finding new opportunities quickly. This hard data confirms the trends suggested by consumer sentiment about the labor market.”

The next jobs report, detailing August’s employment data, is set for release on Sept. 5.