No, they were not able to come up with accurate numbers in the first place. If it is somebody's job to report how many jobs were created, and they can't do that with any accuracy...well...they should lose their job, under any kind of administration.
Erika Lee McEntarfer is an American labor economist with a 20 year career in government, confirmed by the Senate in a 86–8 vote.
You have to live in some alternate reality to think otherwise. Brace for the actual, very real, consequences of an economy where the numbers no longer command trust.
Survey response rates have decreased significantly since Covid, and budgets for statistical agencies have decreased.
"LS surveys firms in the payrolls survey over the course of three months, gaining a more complete picture as more businesses respond. But a smaller share of firms are responding to the first poll. Initial collection rates have repeatedly slid below 60% in recent months — down from the roughly 70% or more that was the norm before the pandemic.
Statistical agencies have also struggled with tighter budgets and staffing constraints, which have only grown more acute in the Trump administration.
“We are seeing these cuts to funding for government agencies affect their ability to collect and analyze economic data,” said Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon. “And for all of the reports that the Bureau of Labor Statistics is conducting, there is likely to be more volatility going forward."[0]
