US Cancels October Jobs Report After Government Shutdown Halts Data Collection

Some data collection couldn’t be done during the 43-day shutdown, leaving policymakers without a key monthly gauge of labor-market health.

A job seeker waits to talk to a recruiter at a job fair in Sunrise, Fla., on Aug. 28, 2025. Marta Lavandier/AP Photo

The Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will not release a full October jobs report after the 43-day federal government shutdown prevented officials from collecting critical data used to calculate the unemployment rate and other key labor market measures, the agency said in a Nov. 19 notice.

Instead of releasing an October edition of the bureau’s signature “Employment Situation” report, the agency will fold select October data, primarily payroll job creation figures, into the delayed November report, now rescheduled for release on Dec. 16.