US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told CBS on 3/8 that President Donald Trump was "really concerned" about data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). He acknowledged that adjustments to job numbers are common, but said that sometimes "they happen in really extreme ways."

Kevin Hassett, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, stated the same day that President Trump "was right" to call for new leadership at the BLS. "I think what we need is fresh eyes at the BLS and someone who can address this problem," Hassett said.

These comments from two top White House economic officials come amid criticism of Trump's decision to fire BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, after accusing her of manipulating job figures to undermine the administration.

President Trump said he would announce the new BLS commissioner in the next three to four days.

US President Donald Trump at the White House on 14/7. _Photo: AP_

The BLS report on 1/8 showed the US economy added 73,000 jobs in July, far below the expected 115,000. The BLS also revised job creation figures for May and June, reducing the total number of jobs created during those two months by 258,000.

The BLS did not specifically explain the reason for the data revisions, but noted that "monthly revisions reflect supplemental reports received from businesses and government agencies, as well as recalculated seasonal factors."

Brian Moynihan, chief executive of Bank of America, commented that large revisions to economic data can undermine public confidence and urged government officials to improve data quality.

However, many have defended the BLS’s practices. Former BLS Commissioner William Beach asserted that no commissioner could falsify job numbers.

"We revise the data every year. When I was commissioner, we revised 500,000 jobs during President Trump's first term. Why did we do that? Because companies are created or go bankrupt, and we don't know everything until we compare the actual figures from all businesses," he said.

McEntarfer was nominated to lead the BLS in July 2023 under former President Joe Biden and confirmed by the US Senate in January 2024 with a majority vote. This is a crucial position, as the BLS is a nonpartisan agency that provides monthly data used by the federal government and businesses in the US for investment, hiring, spending, and other decisions.

Thuy Lam (_Reuters_)