Reliability of jobs data

"In any case, Ms. Groshen and other experts said, even a commissioner with ill intentions would not be able to meddle with the data, at least not in the short run and not without anyone's noticing. The monthly jobs report is produced on a tight schedule using a highly automated and decentralized process. Most of the data that underlies the monthly payroll figure is reported directly by companies through an electronic system that is subject to strict access limitations."

"Most of the data that underlies the monthly payroll figure is reported directly by companies through an electronic system that is subject to strict access limitations. The commissioner, who is the agency's only political appointee, does not have access to the numbers until they have been made final. "There's not like one person in a room who can manipulate things," said Aaron Sojourner, an economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. "There are safeguards in place.""

Even a commissioner with ill intentions cannot readily alter monthly jobs data in the short run without detection. The monthly jobs report is produced on a tight schedule using a highly automated, decentralized process. Most payroll data is reported directly by companies through an electronic system that has strict access limitations. The commissioner, as the agency's only political appointee, does not see the numbers until they are final. Multiple procedural safeguards, decentralization, limited access, and automated workflows collectively prevent a single person from manipulating the figures without prompt discovery. These controls support the integrity of the monthly report.

Read at FlowingData