BLS introduces backups to ensure timely publication of data

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is changing the way it releases data following an incident in which the release of data was delayed but the information was released to some outside users who called or emailed to ask for it.

That incident — which involved a 32-minute delay in the release of preliminary payroll data on Aug. 21 — was caused by an IT issue, the fact that employees had to manually load the data and a lack of BLS policy on responding to public inquiries, according to information a Labor Department spokesperson provided to PYMNTS on Wednesday (Aug. 28).

In addition, the delayed announcement was classified as a website update and not a “press release,” so there were different protocols in place, according to the information. One difference is that there are multiple backups to ensure that press releases are available on time, while there were no similar measures for updates.

One of the changes the BLS has made is that it no longer distinguishes between “website releases” and “press releases.” All data with an announced release date are subject to the same protocols and safeguards.

According to information provided, the agency will also make several other changes. BLS will be able to distribute each data release in multiple ways, including through social media posts. It will verify that the data is available to the public before responding to public requests for it. It will also document these activities for each data release.

According to the information, the BLS will announce further actions in the next few days.

The Aug. 21 incident sparked renewed criticism of the BLS's practices from Wall Street firms that use the data to identify trends in the U.S. economy, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

In another incident earlier this year, the agency accidentally released some data 30 minutes early. Months earlier, a BLS economist may have leaked data that was not widely available to Wall Street firms, the report said.

The August 21 data release said the U.S. economy employed 818,000 fewer people (or 0.5% of nonfarm employment) than originally reported. The data is preliminary; final statistics will be released in early 2025.