Resources on the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

I will start this by noting that (like many economics teachers) I have used a lot of resources from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Those haven't changed because of this controversy, so let's start with an overview of what they do and the resources they have available for teachers . . .

BLS Resources -

Main Page - https://www.bls.gov/

Note, though, that there are several good links right on the main page. One good one for regional economy is the collection of state and regional Economic News Releases available. Here's a couple of examples:

https://www.bls.gov/regions/mountain-plains/

https://www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/

https://www.bls.gov/regions/southwest/

The classroom tab at the top takes you to the teacher and student resources . . .

https://www.bls.gov/k12/

. . . but I would specifically recommend two other pages I used every year:

Posters - https://www.bls.gov/k12/teachers/posters/

The Occupational Outlook handbook - https://www.bls.gov/ooh/

Another favorite of mine is in the upper right-hand corner of the main page - a link to the "Beyond the Numbers" articles describing interesting trends in the data. Here's a chronological list of their most recent articles - you can also subscribe to have them sent to your e-mail:

https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/archive/home.htm

Finally, note all the other pulldown menus at the bottom going into more detail on terms/data you probably use - the Consumer Price Index, Employment and Unemployment data, etc..

Articles About the BLS (and the recent issues) -

Here I did try to get a good mix of perspectives, starting simply with a couple of 3rd person articles about why the BLS's job is so important (and so difficult), followed by other perspectives:

Articles about What the BLS does:

"What Does The BLS Do?", Econlife, Aug 2025, https://econlife.com/2025/08/employment-statistics/

"Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): What It Is and How It Works", Investopedia, Nov 2024, https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bls.asp

"Inflation data to draw scrutiny after BLS firing, $2.1-trillion TIPS market at risk", Reuters, Aug 2025, https://www.reuters.com/business/inflation-data-draw-scrutiny-after-bls-firing-21-trillion-tips-market-risk-2025-08-11/

The first two articles both do a good job of focusing on what data we get from the BLS, and why it is significant to our knowledge about the economy and how things are going at any given time. The third article is one I read yesterday about the first potential impact of changes in the numbers (either how they are gathered or how they are presented) - looking specifically at the impact of the CPI on changes in I-Bonds rates.

Articles about the recent firing:

From the Left -

"Yes, Trump Firing the BLS Commissioner Is Bad. Really Bad.", Slate.com, Aug 2025, https://slate.com/business/2025/08/july-jobs-report-trump-fires-bls-commissioner-for-telling-the-truth-about-his-economy.html

"The jobs numbers were bad — so Trump fired the messenger (The abrupt dismissal of the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, briefly explained)", VOX.com, Aug 2025, https://www.vox.com/politics/422144/trump-jobs-economy-bls-fired

From the Center -

"Trump Claims the Jobs Report Was Rigged. Was It?", Wall Street Journal, Aug 2025, https://www.wsj.com/opinion/trump-claims-the-jobs-report-was-rigged-was-it-employment-27df60f8?

"Why were US job numbers which riled Trump revised down by so much?", BBC.com, Aug 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9wyp2kk1e5o

From the Right -

"Trump Should Have Fired McEntarfer Long Ago", The American Spectator, Aug 2025, https://spectator.org/trump-should-have-fired-mcentarfer-long-ago/

"No Matter Who Is President, Don’t Trust Government Data", The Mises Institute, Aug 2025, https://mises.org/mises-wire/no-matter-who-president-dont-trust-government-data?