How Flawed Jobs Data Influences Fed Rate Policy
President Donald Trump holds a poster that reads "Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Overestimates Biden Jobs by Nearly 1.5 Million," in the Oval Office on Aug. 7, 2025. Win McNamee/Getty Images

How Flawed Jobs Data Influences Fed Rate Policy

A recent big revision to jobs data has cast doubt on the government’s data collection methods and raised questions about the Fed’s interest rate decisions.
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Accurate information on the jobs market and inflation is critical for U.S. policymakers; it’s the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) core mission. In recent years, the bureau has faced scrutiny over claims that its jobs data may be unreliable and biased.

That pressure intensified on Sept. 9 when the BLS issued its largest-ever revision, retroactively lowering jobs growth by 911,000 for the 12 months ending in March 2025.

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