US plans to keep publishing monthly jobs report, White House says

Source: Reuters

August 12, 2025 3:59 PM EDT Updated 11 hours ago


Aug 12 (Reuters) - The White House on Tuesday said it is "the plan" that the Bureau of Labor Statistics will continue to publish its closely watched monthly employment report after President Donald Trump's pick to head the agency proposed suspending its release while it addresses problems that resulted in historically large revisions to recent job growth estimates.

Asked if the agency would continue to put out the monthly "Employment Situation" report, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, "I believe that is the plan, and that's the hope." Leavitt's comment followed remarks on August 4 from E.J. Antoni, who in a Fox News Digital interview a week before Trump's announcement of his nomination as the next BLS commissioner said: "Until it is corrected, the BLS should suspend issuing the monthly job reports but keep publishing the more accurate, though less timely, quarterly data."

"Major decision-makers from Wall Street to D.C. rely on these numbers, and a lack of confidence in the data has far-reaching consequences," he said. Neither Antoni nor the conservative Heritage Foundation where he is currently chief economist replied immediately to a request for comment.

The opening that Trump is proposing that Antoni fill as BLS commissioner arose after the president fired the previous commissioner, Erika McEntarfer, hours after the agency reported much weaker-than-expected job growth for July and issued historically large revisions to the data for May and June. Antoni, who must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, has a track record of criticizing the quality of BLS data under former President Joe Biden's administration.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-plans-keep-publishing-monthly-jobs-report-white-house-says-2025-08-12/