The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a unit of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency for the U.S. government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics and serves as a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System. The BLS collects, processes, analyzes, and disseminates essential statistical data to the American public, the U.S. Congress, other Federal agencies, State and local governments, business, and labor representatives. The BLS also serves as a statistical resource to the United States Department of Labor, and conducts research measuring the income levels families need to maintain a satisfactory quality of life.[4]
BLS data must satisfy a number of criteria, including relevance to current social and economic issues, timeliness in reflecting today's rapidly changing economic conditions, accuracy and consistently high statistical quality, impartiality in both subject matter and presentation, and accessibility to all. To avoid the appearance of partiality, the dates of major data releases are scheduled more than a year in advance, in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget.[5]
The Bureau of Labor was established within the Department of the Interior on June 27, 1884, to collect information about employment and labor. Its creation under the Bureau of Labor Act (23 Stat. 60) stemmed from the findings of U.S. Senator Henry W. Blair's "Labor and Capital Hearings", which examined labor issues and working conditions in the U.S.[6] Statistician Carroll D. Wright became the first U.S. Commissioner of Labor in 1885, a position he held until 1905. The Bureau's placement within the federal government structure changed three times in the first 29 years following its formation. It was made an independent (sub-Cabinet) department by the Department of Labor Act (25 Stat. 182) on June 13, 1888. The Bureau was then incorporated into the Department of Commerce and Labor by the Department of Commerce Act (32 Stat. 827) on February 14, 1903. Finally, it was transferred under the Department of Labor in 1913 where it resides today.[7][8] The BLS is now headquartered in the Postal Square Building near the United States Capitol and Union Station.
Since 1915, the BLS has published the Monthly Labor Review, a journal focused on the data and methodologies of labor statistics.
The BLS is headed by a commissioner who serves a four-year term from the date he or she takes office. The most recent Commissioner of Labor Statistics is William W. Beach,[9] who was assumed office on March 28, 2019 [10][11] Dr. William Beach was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 13, 2019. William Beach's Senate Confirmation.
Erica Groshen, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 2, 2013 and sworn in as the 14th Commissioner of Labor Statistics on January 29, 2013, for a term that ended on January 27, 2017.[12][13] William Wiatrowski, Deputy Commissioner of the BLS, was serving as Acting Commissioner until the next commissioner, William Beach was sworn in.
Commissioners
Commissioners of Labor Statistics (1885 to present):[14]
Data produced by the BLS is often categorized into groups of states known as Census Regions. There are four Census Regions, which are further categorized by Census Division as follows:
Northeast Region
New England Division: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Middle Atlantic Division: New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
South Region
South Atlantic Division: Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
East South Central Division: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
West South Central Division: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Midwest Region
East North Central Division: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
West North Central Division: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
West Region
Mountain Division: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
Pacific Division: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.
^"What BLS Does". Bureau of Labor Statistics. February 9, 2009. from the original on May 8, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
^"BLS 2021 Operating Plan" (PDF). US Department of Labor. (PDF) from the original on 2021-12-27. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
^ ab"Bureau of Labor Statistics: Senior Staff". Bureau of Labor Statistics. from the original on 2017-02-23.
^"Archived copy" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2013-12-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^Cohen, Patricia (2016-11-03). "How Economic Data Is Kept Politics-Free". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on 2017-03-11. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
^GB McKinney, Henry W. Blair's Campaign to Reform America: From the Civil War to the U.S (2012) 110-111
^"Records of the Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS]". National Archives. 2016-08-15. from the original on 2017-02-24. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
^"Overview : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics". www.bls.gov. from the original on 2017-02-23. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
^"William W. Beach, Commissioner". U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. April 16, 2019.
^President Donald J. Trump Announces Key Additions to his Administration, whitehouse.gov, 17 Oct 2017
^Nomination - William Beach — Department of Labor, 16 Jan 2019
^Presidential Nominations, 112th Congress (011 - 2012), PN1404-112 2016-01-02 at the Wayback Machine, Library of Congress, thomas.loc.gov
^Senate Confirms Erica Groshen to Head Bureau of Labor Statistics 2017-09-04 at the Wayback Machine, by Jeffrey Sparshott at Wall Street Journal]
^"Subject Area Categories : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics". from the original on 2017-02-23. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
^"American Time Use Survey". Bureau of Labor Statistics. from the original on 2017-02-23.
^"Current Employment Statistics". Bureau of Labor Statistics. from the original on 2017-02-23.
^"Local Area Unemployment Statistics". Bureau of Labor Statistics. from the original on 2017-09-08.
^"Employment, Hours, and Earnings from the Current Employment Statistics survey (State & Metro Area) Home Page". Bls.gov. 2012-05-30. from the original on 2012-06-15. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
^"Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey Home Page". Bls.gov. from the original on 2012-06-16. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
^"Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages". Bls.gov. 2012-03-28. from the original on 2012-06-10. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
^"Business Employment Dynamics Home Page". Bls.gov. 2012-05-01. from the original on 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
^"Mass Layoff Statistics Home Page". Bls.gov. 2012-05-16. from the original on 2017-02-23. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
^"Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities". Bls.gov. from the original on 2012-06-26. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
^"Overview of BLS Productivity Statistics". Bls.gov. from the original on 2012-06-25. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
Further reading
Joseph P. Goldberg and William T. Moye, The First 100 Years of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bulletin No. 2235. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1985.
William J. Wiatrowski, "BLS at 125: Using historic principles to track the 21st-century economy". Monthly Labor Review, June 2009, pp. 3–25.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Official website
Records of the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the National Archives (Record Group 257)
Bulletins of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, dating back to 1895
Local Area Unemployment Reports
August 21, 2023
bureau, labor, statistics, unit, united, states, department, labor, principal, fact, finding, agency, government, broad, field, labor, economics, statistics, serves, principal, agency, federal, statistical, system, collects, processes, analyzes, disseminates, . The Bureau of Labor Statistics BLS is a unit of the United States Department of Labor It is the principal fact finding agency for the U S government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics and serves as a principal agency of the U S Federal Statistical System The BLS collects processes analyzes and disseminates essential statistical data to the American public the U S Congress other Federal agencies State and local governments business and labor representatives The BLS also serves as a statistical resource to the United States Department of Labor and conducts research measuring the income levels families need to maintain a satisfactory quality of life 4 Bureau of Labor StatisticsAgency overviewFormedJune 27 1884 139 years ago 1884 06 27 JurisdictionFederal government of the United StatesHeadquartersPostal Square BuildingWashington D C U S Employees2 500 1 Annual budget 655 million 2021 2 Agency executivesWilliam J Wiatrowski Acting Commissioner 3 William J Wiatrowski Deputy Commissioner 3 Websitewww wbr bls wbr govBLS data must satisfy a number of criteria including relevance to current social and economic issues timeliness in reflecting today s rapidly changing economic conditions accuracy and consistently high statistical quality impartiality in both subject matter and presentation and accessibility to all To avoid the appearance of partiality the dates of major data releases are scheduled more than a year in advance in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget 5 Contents 1 History 2 Commissioners 3 Statistical reporting 3 1 Prices 3 2 Employment and unemployment 3 3 Compensation and working conditions 3 4 Productivity 4 Statistical regions 5 See also 6 Footnotes 7 Further reading 8 External linksHistory EditSee also United States labor law The Bureau of Labor was established within the Department of the Interior on June 27 1884 to collect information about employment and labor Its creation under the Bureau of Labor Act 23 Stat 60 stemmed from the findings of U S Senator Henry W Blair s Labor and Capital Hearings which examined labor issues and working conditions in the U S 6 Statistician Carroll D Wright became the first U S Commissioner of Labor in 1885 a position he held until 1905 The Bureau s placement within the federal government structure changed three times in the first 29 years following its formation It was made an independent sub Cabinet department by the Department of Labor Act 25 Stat 182 on June 13 1888 The Bureau was then incorporated into the Department of Commerce and Labor by the Department of Commerce Act 32 Stat 827 on February 14 1903 Finally it was transferred under the Department of Labor in 1913 where it resides today 7 8 The BLS is now headquartered in the Postal Square Building near the United States Capitol and Union Station Since 1915 the BLS has published the Monthly Labor Review a journal focused on the data and methodologies of labor statistics The BLS is headed by a commissioner who serves a four year term from the date he or she takes office The most recent Commissioner of Labor Statistics is William W Beach 9 who was assumed office on March 28 2019 10 11 Dr William Beach was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 13 2019 William Beach s Senate Confirmation Erica Groshen who was confirmed by the U S Senate on January 2 2013 and sworn in as the 14th Commissioner of Labor Statistics on January 29 2013 for a term that ended on January 27 2017 12 13 William Wiatrowski Deputy Commissioner of the BLS was serving as Acting Commissioner until the next commissioner William Beach was sworn in Commissioners EditCommissioners of Labor Statistics 1885 to present 14 Portrait Commissioner Took office Left office Carroll D Wright January 1885 January 1905 Charles P Neill February 1905 May 1913 George Hanger Acting May 1913 August 1913 Royal Meeker August 11 1913 June 1920 Ethelbert Stewart June 1920 June 1932 Charles E Baldwin Acting July 1932 July 1933 Isador Lubin July 1933 January 1946 A Ford Hinrichs Acting January 1946 July 1946 Aryness Joy Wickens July 1946 August 1946 Ewan Clague August 1946 September 1965 Arthur Ross October 1965 July 1968 Ben Burdetsky Acting July 1968 March 1969 Geoffrey H Moore March 1969 January 1973 Ben Burdetsky Acting January 1973 July 1973 Julius Shiskin July 1973 October 1978 Janet L Norwood May 1979 December 1991 William G Barron Jr Acting December 1991 October 1993 Katharine Abraham October 1993 October 2001 Lois Orr Acting October 2001 July 2002 Kathleen Utgoff July 2002 July 2006 Philip Rones Acting July 2006 January 2008 Keith Hall January 2008 January 2012 John M Jack Galvin Acting January 2012 January 2013 Erica Groshen January 29 2013 January 27 2017 William J Wiatrowski Acting January 2017 March 2019 William Beach March 13 2019 March 2023 William J Wiatrowski Acting March 2023 PresentStatistical reporting EditStatistics published by the BLS fall into four main categories 15 Prices Edit U S Consumer Price Index Producer Price Index U S Import and Export Price Indices Consumer Expenditure SurveyEmployment and unemployment Edit Unemployment measurements by the BLS from 1950 to 2010 Job seekers ratio in the JOLTS report Cold job market Balanced job market Hot job marketCurrent Population Survey The Household Survey The American Time Use Survey 16 Current Employment Statistics 17 The Establishment Survey Payroll Employment JOLTS report Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey Economic geography Salary Data Local Area Unemployment Statistics LAUS 18 List of U S states by unemployment rate Current Employment Statistics State and Area program 19 The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey JOLTS 20 The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages QCEW 21 The Business Employment Dynamics BED program 22 Ten year occupational employment projections Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics called OES until recently Mass Layoff Statistics discontinued in 2013 23 Compensation and working conditions Edit National Compensation Survey Employment Cost Index Workplace Injury and Fatality Statistics 24 Workers involved in strikes by year US Bureau of Labor StatisticsProductivity Edit Labor productivity aggregate and by industry 25 Multifactor productivity State labor productivity Work Stoppage dataStatistical regions EditData produced by the BLS is often categorized into groups of states known as Census Regions There are four Census Regions which are further categorized by Census Division as follows Northeast Region New England Division Connecticut Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire Rhode Island and Vermont Middle Atlantic Division New Jersey New York and Pennsylvania South Region South Atlantic Division Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Maryland North Carolina South Carolina Virginia and West Virginia East South Central Division Alabama Kentucky Mississippi and Tennessee West South Central Division Arkansas Louisiana Oklahoma and Texas Midwest Region East North Central Division Illinois Indiana Michigan Ohio and Wisconsin West North Central Division Iowa Kansas Minnesota Missouri Nebraska North Dakota and South Dakota West Region Mountain Division Arizona Colorado Idaho Montana Nevada New Mexico Utah and Wyoming Pacific Division Alaska California Hawaii Oregon and Washington See also EditAlternative employment arrangements Bureau of Economic Analysis Career Guide to Industries Data gov Economic reports Index of Leading Indicators Job Creation Index Monthly Labor Review National Income and Product Accounts Occupational Outlook Handbook U S Census Bureau USAFactsFootnotes Edit What BLS Does Bureau of Labor Statistics February 9 2009 Archived from the original on May 8 2011 Retrieved May 10 2011 BLS 2021 Operating Plan PDF US Department of Labor Archived PDF from the original on 2021 12 27 Retrieved 2022 02 22 a b Bureau of Labor Statistics Senior Staff Bureau of Labor Statistics Archived from the original on 2017 02 23 Archived copy PDF Archived PDF from the original on 2014 06 11 Retrieved 2013 12 22 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Cohen Patricia 2016 11 03 How Economic Data Is Kept Politics Free The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on 2017 03 11 Retrieved 2017 02 23 GB McKinney Henry W Blair s Campaign to Reform America From the Civil War to the U S 2012 110 111 Records of the Bureau of Labor Statistics BLS National Archives 2016 08 15 Archived from the original on 2017 02 24 Retrieved 2017 02 23 Overview U S Bureau of Labor Statistics www bls gov Archived from the original on 2017 02 23 Retrieved 2017 02 23 William W Beach Commissioner U S Bureau of Labor Statistics April 16 2019 President Donald J Trump Announces Key Additions to his Administration whitehouse gov 17 Oct 2017 Nomination William Beach Department of Labor 16 Jan 2019 Presidential Nominations 112th Congress 011 2012 PN1404 112 Archived 2016 01 02 at the Wayback Machine Library of Congress thomas loc gov Senate Confirms Erica Groshen to Head Bureau of Labor Statistics Archived 2017 09 04 at the Wayback Machine by Jeffrey Sparshott at Wall Street Journal Past BLS Commissioners bls gov Subject Area Categories U S Bureau of Labor Statistics Archived from the original on 2017 02 23 Retrieved 2017 02 23 American Time Use Survey Bureau of Labor Statistics Archived from the original on 2017 02 23 Current Employment Statistics Bureau of Labor Statistics Archived from the original on 2017 02 23 Local Area Unemployment Statistics Bureau of Labor Statistics Archived from the original on 2017 09 08 Employment Hours and Earnings from the Current Employment Statistics survey State amp Metro Area Home Page Bls gov 2012 05 30 Archived from the original on 2012 06 15 Retrieved 2012 06 22 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey Home Page Bls gov Archived from the original on 2012 06 16 Retrieved 2012 06 22 Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Bls gov 2012 03 28 Archived from the original on 2012 06 10 Retrieved 2012 06 22 Business Employment Dynamics Home Page Bls gov 2012 05 01 Archived from the original on 2012 10 15 Retrieved 2012 06 22 Mass Layoff Statistics Home Page Bls gov 2012 05 16 Archived from the original on 2017 02 23 Retrieved 2017 02 22 Injuries Illnesses and Fatalities Bls gov Archived from the original on 2012 06 26 Retrieved 2012 06 22 Overview of BLS Productivity Statistics Bls gov Archived from the original on 2012 06 25 Retrieved 2012 06 22 Further reading EditJoseph P Goldberg and William T Moye The First 100 Years of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Bulletin No 2235 Washington D C U S Government Printing Office 1985 William J Wiatrowski BLS at 125 Using historic principles to track the 21st century economy Monthly Labor Review June 2009 pp 3 25 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bureau of Labor Statistics Official website Records of the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the National Archives Record Group 257 Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Federal Register Publications of the BLS available on FRASER Bulletins of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics dating back to 1895 Local Area Unemployment Reports Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bureau of Labor Statistics amp oldid 1168657508, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
