US President Donald Trump has called for the firing of the head of the agency that compiles monthly employment reports after data showed a slowdown in hiring in July and significantly lower results for May and June than previously reported.
Mr Trump, in a post on the social media platform, claimed the information was distorted for political reasons and said Erica McEnturfer, the director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics appointed by former President Joe Biden, should be fired.
“I have directed my team to IMMEDIATELY fire this Biden political appointee,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“She will be replaced by someone much more capable and qualified.”
The jobs report released Friday showed just 73,000 jobs were created last month, with the number of jobs created in May and June coming in 258,000 fewer than previously expected.
Ms. McEntarfer was appointed by Biden in 2023 and began serving as Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics in January 2024.
Commission members are typically appointed for four-year terms, but because they are political appointees, they can be fired.
The commissioner is the only political appointee in an agency that employs hundreds of full-time civil servants.
Mr. Trump expressed considerable dissatisfaction with the agency's changes to previous employment data.
In May, the U.S. job gain was revised down from 125,000 to 19,000, and in June it was revised down from 147,000 to 14,000.
Only 73,000 jobs were added in July.
The unemployment rate rose to a still low 4.2% from 4.1%.
“Is anyone that wrong? We need accurate employment data,” Trump wrote.
“She will be replaced by someone much more capable and qualified. Such important figures must be honest and accurate, and must not be used for political purposes.”
The monthly employment report is one of the most closely watched government economic indicators and can cause sharp swings in financial markets.
The disappointing data sent U.S. market indices down about 1.5% on Friday.
While employment data is often the subject of political speculation, Wall Street economists and investors, especially when millions of dollars are involved, have traditionally viewed U.S. government economic data as free from political manipulation.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
