The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will release its delayed September employment report on 20 November, following a six-week postponement caused by the United States government shutdown.
However, there remain concerns as to whether October’s data will ever be published, leaving a hole in the economic record at a time of heightened uncertainty over the labour market and interest rate outlook.
The BLS confirmed last week that the September employment situation report — originally set for 3 October — will now be released on Thursday, November 20, at 8:30 am ET (Friday 12:30 am AEDT).
The prolonged shutdown halted the agency’s funding and prevented the compilation and publication of key economic data, including the payrolls survey.
Even with the release of September’s figures, a significant data gap will remain. The BLS has not indicated whether an October report will be produced.
Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, said October employment figures would be incomplete, with no unemployment rate available because the household survey did not take place.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also reinforced the message last week, stating that the October report is unlikely ever to be released.
During the shutdown, several private-sector and regional institutions attempted to fill the information gap.
Haver Analytics and Goldman Sachs published their own unemployment claims estimates, while the Chicago Fed produced an unofficial measure of the national unemployment rate using real-time and alternative data sources.
