South By North Strategies, Ltd.

Tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m., the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is scheduled to release the national employment report for the month of October. Due to the stakes associated with the upcoming presidential election, the monthly employment have become enmeshed in political controversies, with some critics alleging that the BLS somehow is manipulating the data for partisan purposes.

To shed light on the rather baseless claims of political interference,  South by North Strategies, Ltd., a research firm specializing in economic and social policy, last month released a special web-only essay that attempted to shed light on the debate by providing an overview of from where the national employment figures come. The essay profiled the work of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, introduced the agency’s monthly surveys of employers and households, noted some of the factors to bear in mind when interpreting the data, and corrected some common misconceptions pertaining to unemployment as it is defined and measured for statistical purposes.

Given that some of the same claims of political manipulation are likely to circulate following the release of the numbers for October, interested parties may find South by North Strategies’ essay helpful. Click here to read the full essay.