Economic Data Collection Hit by Staffing Shortages
Staffing shortages at the Labor Department, resulting from hiring freezes during the Trump administration, have led to curtailed data collection for the Consumer Price Index. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reduced the number of business price checks starting in April to accommodate these constraints. The CPI remains vital for understanding U.S. inflation.
The federal government's economic data collection efforts have been hampered by staffing shortages, stemming from hiring freezes implemented during the Trump administration. This has forced the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics to scale back its data collection for key economic indicators.
Beginning in April, due to insufficient personnel, the Bureau reduced the number of businesses it surveyed for the Consumer Price Index (CPI)—a critical measure of U.S. inflation. The changes were first reported by the Wall Street Journal after the BLS communicated with private economists.
The CPI is an essential tool for economists, investors, and policymakers, providing monthly assessments of price changes across a broad spectrum of goods and services. The Labor Department has not commented on when full operations will resume.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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