Institute for Compensation Studies

Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, underscores the fundamental importance of federal data for accurately weighting private statistics.

In a discussion at the Cato Institute, Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, comments on the importance of the trustability of statistical agencies, revisions to jobs numbers under the Obama administration, and more.

Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, comments on the effect of missing data due to the federal government shutdown.

Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, discusses what the bureau can and cannot do when the federal government is shut down, and what that may mean for the publication of the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment announcement and for decision-making by the Federal Reserve.

Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, comments on how the bureau’s missing report affects analysis about a possible recession: “to have [the data] be of lower quality or just unavailable, will make these decisions all that much more difficult,” she said.

“Without today’s jobs report and next week’s scheduled inflation release … the Federal Reserve, US treasury, financial markets, businesses and households will be flying blind,” said Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, analyzing the absence of today’s jobs report.

“It’s a bad time to be missing data,” said Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, about the absence of today’s jobs report from the bureau, due to the federal government shutdown.

This article includes information from a paper written by Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, about who uses the bureau’s statistics and for what purpose.

Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, comments on the effect of the government shutdown on the release of the bureau’s monthly jobs report and discusses other timely details relating to the bureau.

The presidents next pick “needs to be up to a difficult job,” said Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, about who will be nominated as the next commissioner of the bureau now that the nomination of EJ Antoni has been withdrawn.

“It’s another obstacle being thrown in their path,” said Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, about the potential impact of a federal government shutdown on the bureau’s efforts to hire new staff.

Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, comments on the possible impact of a federal shutdown on Friday’s jobs report and on the bureau generally.

Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, provides analysis and expert commentary on a variety of issues related to recent events at the bureau and the federal reserve.

On this podcast episode, Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, discusses the why and how of jobs report revisions by the bureau and the reliability of the data.

Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor, comments on the possible meaning of wages growing more for job-stayers than job switchers.

On this video, Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, discusses several topics related to the bureau, including budget and staffing, what might happen if someone tried to alter the data to support political ends, and the importance of reliable government statistical data.

Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, noted that when business are contacted by government surveyors, they increasingly ask their lawyers whether to answer.

Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, contributed analysis on economic data during market coverage.

Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, commented on staffing and funding issues behind the bureau’s largest ever preliminary revision to its annual jobs data.

“When you don’t have leaders to help prioritize and to identify which things you’re going to do, and you have less bandwidth, then what falls behind are improvements,” said Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, about vacancies at the bureau.

Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, explained the benchmarking process and its importance for more accurate employment statistics.

Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, speaks about the bureau and its August jobs report, the importance of the federal statistics ecosystem, and what questions she would ask in a Senate confirmation hearing for a future commissioner of the bureau.

Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, shared her concerns about a report being prepared about the bureau by the White House.

Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, comments on what the bureau’s August jobs report suggests about the country’s economic health.

Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, discussed the political and economic context surrounding the recently released August jobs report from the bureau.

Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, comments on the recently released August jobs report from the bureau and analyzes the reliability and politicization of federal economic data.

“It’s like rock climbing; you can’t go straight up the wall,” said Brian Dunn, director of professional programs at ILR’s Institute for Compensation Studies, when commenting on how switching to a new employer can help with career growth.

Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, comments on what the bureau’s August jobs report may signal about economic health and on how the bureau tabulates and publishes its data.

“We have very little job growth. And yeah, it’s worrisome. We’re not definitely heading into a recession, but this would be consistent with the beginning of one,” said Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, when analyzing the August jobs report.

In this article about today’s jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, analyzed budgeting issues related to modernizing data collection at the bureau.