Criticism Surrounds BLS Leadership After Job Data Reporting Issues

On Friday, economist Steve Moore expressed his concerns on Fox Business regarding the Biden administration’s appointees at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). He highlighted what he describes as a “giant error” in the reporting of U.S. job data during her tenure.

Former President Donald Trump announced that he has mandated the dismissal of BLS commissioner Erica Mantelfer, accusing her of manipulating job figures after July’s employment reports. During his segment, Moore pointed out that the BLS had revised the job creation numbers multiple times, which might lead to a downward adjustment of as much as 500,000 jobs.

“I’ve been informed by BLS sources that they plan to re-estimate all of this over time. It’s, um, kind of reassuring to think they might adjust the job numbers down by another 500,000 due to these substantial errors,” Moore said.

Moore criticized the way the Biden administration has managed the BLS, notably undoing significant reforms that were put in place by Bill Beach. He noted that Beach’s firing made it easier for the current leadership to dismantle processes designed to enhance data accuracy and transparency.

“We had my good friend, Bill Beach, who led the BLS, and after he was let go by Biden, all the reforms aimed at improving procedures were scrapped,” Moore remarked.

Moore expressed doubts about Mantelfer’s competency in estimating job figures, describing the data reliability under her leadership as inconsistent.

“I can’t really say if she’s politically motivated or not, but I can definitely say she doesn’t seem very adept at her job,” Moore commented.

The U.S. economy added 73,000 non-farm payroll jobs in July, which fell short of the anticipated 100,000 jobs. The unemployment rate saw a slight uptick to 4.2%, even though the economy registered a GDP growth rate of 3.0% for the second quarter of 2025.

Prior to the job data release on Friday, analysts estimated that the U.S. economy could gain around 100,000 jobs in July, following a 3.0% GDP increase in the second quarter. Additionally, the manufacturing sector experienced a minor uptick in output in June, while unemployment claims continued to decline. Trump has pledged to bolster the economy during his second term.