Washington– The Labor Department said Wednesday it will not release the full jobs report for October because the 43-day federal government shutdown means it cannot calculate the unemployment rate and some other key numbers.
Instead, it will release some October jobs data — most importantly the number of jobs created by employers last month — alongside the full November jobs report, which is now scheduled to be delayed by two weeks on December 16.
The Department’s Employment Situation report is usually released on the first Friday of the month. But the government shutdown disrupted data collection and delayed the release of reports. For example, the September jobs report, which is now released on Friday, was originally scheduled for October 3.
The monthly jobs report consists of two parts: the household survey, which is used to determine the unemployment rate, among other things; and the “Establishments” survey of companies, nonprofits, and government agencies that is used to track job creation, wages, and other measures of labor market health.
The Labor Department said on Wednesday that the October household survey could not be conducted due to the lockdown and could not be conducted retrospectively. But it was able to collect employment numbers from employers, and those numbers will be out with the full November report.
Wednesday’s announcement means September jobs numbers are likely to come under further scrutiny on Friday. It’s the last full measure of employment and unemployment that Fed policymakers will see before they meet on December 9-10 and decide whether to cut the benchmark interest rate for a third time this year.
Jobs numbers have been controversial lately. After the July jobs report was disappointing, President Donald Trump abruptly fired the official responsible for collecting the data, Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erica McIntarver.
McIntarver herself was quick to say that there was nothing suspicious about Wednesday’s announcement. “There is no conspiracy here guys,” she posted on the social media site Bluesky. “The BLS has been completely shut down for six weeks. Payroll data from companies can be collected retrospectively for October. The household survey cannot be conducted retrospectively. This is just a direct result of all field employees being furloughed for over a month.”
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AP Economic Writer Christopher Rugaber contributed to this report.