Can we still trust the monthly jobs report? (Update)

The Indicator from Planet Money

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4.7 • 9.2K Ratings

🗓️ 5 August 2025

⏱️ 8 minutes

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Summary

Since his return to office, President Trump has waged something of a pressure campaign on economic data and the people in charge of delivering it. His firing of the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner following a weak jobs report now has some wondering: can we still trust the official numbers? Today on the show, we're resharing our conversation with former BLS commissioner, Erica Groshen on her current fears for the integrity of government data. The original version of this story aired March 7, 2025.

Related:
What really goes on at the Bureau of Labor Statistics? (Update) (Apple / Spotify)
Would you trust an economist with your economy? (Apple / Spotify)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	NPR.
0:02.2	This is the indicator from planet money.
0:13.9	I'm Daryam Woods.
0:14.9	And I'm Waylon Wong.
0:16.3	President Donald Trump said this week that he will soon announce his pick to lead the Bureau of Labor
0:21.6	Statistics. He fired the previous head on Friday after accusing her of manipulating the
0:27.3	jobs numbers. The president presented no evidence that the jobs report is phony. Neither did Trump's
0:32.7	economic advisor Kevin Hassett when he went on NBC's Meet the Press this week.
0:42.2	Hassett told host Kristen Welker that the president wants his own people at the BLS. Is the president planning to fire all 40 people involved in putting these numbers together?
0:46.5	We're going to try to get the numbers so that they're transparent and reliable.
0:50.5	Transparent and reliable data are vital to the economy.
0:54.4	The monthly jobs report moves markets.
0:56.8	The Federal Reserve, policymakers, and everyday businesses use the information to make decisions that affect all of us.
1:03.6	So the numbers need to be trustworthy.
1:06.6	If people don't trust the data, then you might as well not produce it.
1:12.1	That's Erica Groshen, a former BLS Commissioner.
1:15.2	She was also part of a committee of outside experts that advised the government on economic
1:19.6	data.
1:20.8	The Trump administration disbanded that committee earlier this year.
1:23.9	We talked to Erica then about how we can trust official statistics like the
1:28.4	monthly jobs report. Today on the show, we are re-airing our conversation about the safeguards
1:33.6	that are in place and her worries about the future integrity of government data.
	...

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