
<a href="https://reason.com/2025/08/04/firing-the-data-collectors/" target="_blank">View original image source</a>.
Job growth data recently took a nosedive, with over 258,000 jobs getting the ol’ heave-ho from previous reports. According to economist Josh Barro, the economy is showing undeniable signs of weakness, which makes President Trump’s decision to fire the Commissioner of Labor Statistics raise eyebrows. Is this a quest for accountability, or just a way to silence criticism amidst the chaos? While the stock market remains buoyant, everything else feels like it’s on shaky ground.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics might want to take a good, hard look at its data-collection methods instead of just shifting blame. After all, they still collect employment figures through vintage approaches like door-to-door surveys. It’s 2025, folks! Can’t we do better than that? The upward revisions from previous months are worrisome. When revisions become a regular occurrence, how can we trust the stats being tossed around?
This brings to light an important question: how much should political influence extend into statistical practices? Shouldn’t the data remain purely factual and detached from the unpredictable winds of politics? It seems like we’ve just opened a new can of worms, and it’s got the potential to get really messy. What do you think—are we just seeing the tip of the iceberg with these job statistics?
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