The US Department of Labor acknowledges errors in the release of non-farm payroll revision data and will announce improvement measures in the coming days

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Labor stated that a technical glitch caused the U.S. government to fail to disclose key non-farm payroll revision data on Wednesday, August 21. It was acknowledged that the Department provided the data to callers before the official release.

To address this issue, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will now release data through multiple platforms, including social media, to ensure timely publication and equal access to information for everyone. The Department of Labor spokesperson stated in an email that the Bureau has implemented a new policy requiring staff handling data inquiries to only share data with clients after senior officials within the Bureau confirm that the data is widely accessible to the public.

The spokesperson mentioned that the preliminary revised non-farm payroll data released by the Bureau on August 21 was delayed by over half an hour from the scheduled time, forcing staff to manually upload the data. Although the data was officially released around 10:32, Bureau employees could already view it on the intranet by 10:10.

The spokesperson noted a lack of communication within the Bureau on how staff should respond to public inquiries, further complicating the issue. With the embargo lifted at 10 a.m., some Bureau employees who had access to the data provided it to those who actively reached out for information.

The spokesperson added that the government will announce further measures in the coming days. The Bureau of Labor Statistics had previously informed the Department of Labor Inspector General's Office about the events of last week.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has a history of multiple errors. In May of this year, the Bureau mistakenly released the Consumer Price Index data 30 minutes early. In April, an economist at the Bureau detailed inflation-related data to major Wall Street firms such as JP Morgan and BlackRock, raising questions about the fairness of accessing economic information and sparking strong dissatisfaction among Wall Street investment banks that rely on this government data to understand the U.S. economic situation.

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is crucial for businesses, scholars, and decision-makers who use this data to make key decisions. In particular, the Federal Reserve and other economic institutions closely monitor non-farm payroll data to assess the health of the labor market and various industries' operational conditions