US President Donald Trump has called for the removal of the head of the agency responsible for preparing monthly employment data after the release of a report that showed a slowdown in the rate of hiring in July and significant revisions to the statistics for May and June.
In a social media post, Trump accused the agency of biasing data for political purposes and called for the firing of Erica McEnturfer, who led the Bureau of Labor Statistics under former President Joe Biden.
“I have ordered my team to IMMEDIATELY remove this Biden stooge from office,” he emphasized in a post on the Truth Social platform.
“Her place will be taken by a much more professional and trained specialist.”
The economy added just 73,000 jobs in July, down a combined 258,000 from May and June, according to updated figures released Friday.
McEntarfer was confirmed by the Biden administration in 2023 and assumed her position as Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner in January 2024.
Although the official term of office of the commissioner is four years, the political appointee holding the position can be removed early.
This position remains the only politicized one in the agency's structure, where the majority of employees are career civil servants.
Trump's main criticism was the agency's revisions to previous employment reports.
A revision of the data showed that the May figures fell from 125 thousand to 19 thousand, and the June figures fell from 147 thousand to 14 thousand.
July's gain was a record low of 73,000 jobs.
The unemployment rate rose to 4.2% while remaining at moderate levels.
“How can you be wrong on such a scale? We need reliable employment statistics,” the former president wrote.
“Her successor will be a much more competent specialist. Key economic indicators should reflect reality and not serve as a tool for political games.”
The monthly employment report is considered one of the most important economic indicators, having an immediate impact on financial markets.
The discouraging statistics caused the main US stock indexes to fall by 1.5% in Friday trading.
Despite the politicized nature of the employment issue, professional economists and investors have traditionally viewed US government statistics as a source independent of political influence.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
