Скачать или смотреть Fitzpatrick Pushes for Accuracy in Jobs Numbers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressmen Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) have reintroduced Labor Statistics Improvement Act [H.R. 3674] - bipartisan legislation to improve how the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) derives its unemployment figures in order to provide a clearer picture of the nation’s economy.

"Mr. Speaker, the numbers never lie… unless they do.

Each month, we all react to the release of the employment report as the supposed indicator of economic health around the country. The most recent jobs numbers show the unemployment rate at 5.1-percent.

That headline number paints a picture that simply doesn’t exist. It distorts economic outlooks and distracts this chamber from working toward the creation of better jobs and more opportunity for millions of Americans.

Econimists of all persuasions have criticized this method as overstating job market strength, noting the Bureau of Labor Statistics only considers limited factors when reporting the unemployment rate and ignoring things like underemployment or the number of workers who have labor force. What we’re left with is a flawed view of labor market strength.

With that in mind, I’ve joined my colleagues in introducing the Labor Statistics Improvement Act which would clear the way for changes in methodology that could help the unemployment rate more accurately reflect the strength of the labor market.

If the jobs report dictates how this Congress addresses real economic challenges, we can’t afford to get it wrong."