Moody's Talks - Inside Economics

In Defense of the BLS

Episode Summary

Former Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erica Groshen joins Mark, Cris, and Dante to cover a wide range of topics, including a somber discussion about the recent firing of the current BLS commissioner. Erica provides key insights into the role that BLS commissioners play in the day-to-day publication of economic data, as well as the longer-term challenges facing BLS and other federal statistical agencies. She also weighs in on the recent revisions to employment data that have garnered much attention and provides a thorough explanation of why revisions happen and the tradeoff between timeliness and accuracy.

Episode Notes

Former Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erica Groshen joins Mark, Cris, and Dante to cover a wide range of topics, including a somber discussion about the recent firing of the current BLS commissioner. Erica provides key insights into the role that BLS commissioners play in the day-to-day publication of economic data, as well as the longer-term challenges facing BLS and other federal statistical agencies. She also weighs in on the recent revisions to employment data that have garnered much attention and provides a thorough explanation of why revisions happen and the tradeoff between timeliness and accuracy.

 

Guests : Dr. Erica Groshen, Senior Economic Advisor at Cornell University—ILR and Research Fellow at the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research and Dante DeAntonio, Senior Director of Economic Research, Moody's Analytics

Hosts: Mark Zandi – Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, Cris deRitis – Deputy Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, and Marisa DiNatale – Senior Director - Head of Global Forecasting, Moody’s Analytics

Follow Mark Zandi on 'X' and BlueSky @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis on LinkedIn, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn