Monthly Labor Review • June 2009 

Bureau of Labor Statistics at 125

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

(BLS) used its centennial in 1984 as 

“an opportunity to reflect on what we 

can learn from history and a time to think 

about emerging problems and their implications” for the future.1

 At that time, it would 

have been hard to imagine the growth and 

change in the economy over just a quarter 

century—and the growth and change at the 

BLS designed to keep up with the changing 

economy. Remarkably, some things that could 

not have been imagined in 1984 are now 

commonplace at the BLS: the use of the Internet for data collection and dissemination, 

computers on every employee’s desk, staff 

telecommuting, distance training via video 

and computer, cognitive review to improve 

the clarity and accuracy of BLS questionnaires 

and publications, blogs and wikis, and more. 

But all of these changes are needed to track 

an economy that is increasingly global, lightning fast, and constantly being reinvented. 

Gone are the days when the BLS counted 

girdle manufacturers and stenographers. To 

keep up with the world of satellite communications and nanotechnology, the Agency had 

to reinvent itself.

The 100-year anniversary was marked with 

the publication of a volume that traced the 

growth of the BLS through the terms of 10 

William J. Wiatrowski is Associate Commissioner, Office of Compensation and 

Working Conditions, Bureau 

of Labor Statistics.

William J. Wiatrowski

BLS at 125: using historic principles

to track the 21st-century economy

Relying on its core principles of objectivity, confidentiality,

relevance, accuracy, and transparency, as well as a core set

of disciplines—economics, statistics, information technology,

and behavioral science—the Bureau of Labor Statistics at 125

has incorporated new labor phenomena arising over the past

quarter century into its repertoire of programs and services

Commissioners.2 Although each Commissioner left his or her own mark, all supported 

and expanded upon a core set of principles 

to guide the organization and its work. An 

additional quarter century may not deserve 

another historic volume; rather, this article is 

intended as an update of BLS activities over 

the past 25 years. And while Commissioners 

have come and gone, the guiding principles 

remain, having been tested and strengthened. 

This look back is organized not by time or by 

program, but by those principles, which are 

still relevant today. A brief introduction will 

provide some context on how these principles 

manifest themselves in today’s BLS.

What is the BLS?

Those not familiar with the BLS are nonetheless often aware of some of the key measures 

and data that come from the Agency, including the monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI), 

the unemployment rate, and payroll employment figures. In fact, nearly every American 

is affected by some BLS data, most notably 

annual adjustments to Social Security payments and Federal income tax brackets, both 

of which result from changes in the CPI. The 

relative anonymity of the BLS is perhaps a 

byproduct of its commitment to objectivity: 
Bureau of Labor Statistics at 125

 Monthly Labor Review • June 2009

the statistics, not the agency that produces them, are the 

story. And although the measures just cited are among the 

most widely known, the BLS actually produces data from 

about two dozen programs covering such topics as employment, prices, spending, compensation, workplace safety and 

health, and productivity. These programs vary widely: some 

are large while others are small, and some offer broad overviews of the economy while others are rich in detail. Exhibit 

1 provides a look at the current programs of the BLS.

The BLS is the principal factfinding agency for the Federal Government in the broad field of labor economics and 

statistics. As specified in its mission statement, the BLS

“collects, processes, analyzes, and disseminates essential 

statistical data to the American public, the U.S. Congress, 

other Federal agencies, State and local governments, business, and labor.” 3

In the sections that follow, the principles that guide the 

work of the BLS have been grouped into five categories that 

describe the current focus of the Agency’s activities. Of 

course, any such grouping is arbitrary, and other combinations might be as good or better at allowing readers to understand the tenets that go into producing high-quality labor 

statistics. Similarly, the examples that accompany each principle often speak to multiple principles. Nor are the examples 

exhaustive; other ones could easily have been substituted. The 

intent, however, transcends the particular examples chosen: 

to provide an illustration of the variety of challenges facing 

the BLS in the 21st century and of how a set of principles 

continues to guide the reactions to those challenges.

Objectivity, fairness, and impartiality

The BLS is an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor, but 

is also an “independent statistical agency,” meaning that it 

is not involved in policy decisions. Although BLS data frequently are used by policymakers to formulate regulations, 

enact legislation, and illuminate the outcomes of new policies, the staff who produce these data have no role in developing or enforcing policy. Underscoring this independence, 

the BLS has but one political appointee: the Commissioner. 

Commissioners are nominated by the President, are confirmed by the Senate, and serve fixed 4-year terms. Their 

terms do not necessarily coincide with those of Presidents; 

for example, the current BLS Commissioner, Keith Hall, 

was appointed by President George W. Bush and continues 

to serve under President Barack H. Obama.

Despite this independence, many individuals and organizations try to draw the BLS into the policy arena. An 

example of this phenomenon occurred repeatedly during 

2008, as the Agency reported on reductions in payroll 

employment. The BLS frequently was asked whether the 

declining employment figures meant that the U.S. economy was in a recession. In response, the BLS explained that 

such a declaration was not within its purview. The official 

declaration of a recession, as well as details of the specific 

timing of the business cycle, is made by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), a nongovernmental 

independent research organization.4 Data from the BLS

can inform the issue, however; for example, the BLS can 

provide information from previous recessions on job losses and the amount of time that it took for employment to 

recover to its prerecession peak.

Attempts to draw the BLS into policy issues invariably 

come from external sources. For instance, Congress may 

include language in legislation that requires the BLS to conduct certain policy-related analysis, and other Federal Government Agencies may request that the BLS be involved in 

similar policy analysis. Such requests are turned down and 

in many cases are transferred to the relevant policy Agencies 

within the Department of Labor. (BLS statistical programs 

often have a parallel policy and enforcement agency, such as 

the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or the 

Wage and Hour Division of the Employment Standards 

Administration.) An example of the type of policy analysis 

that frequently is requested of the BLS is an analysis of the 

effect of increases in the minimum wage on employment. 

Although the BLS may provide information on the number of workers earning at or below the minimum wage and 

information on the characteristics of those workers, such 

as their demographics and educational attainment, the BLS

does not predict the effect of changes to the minimum 

wage.

Beyond avoiding policy discussions, the BLS often includes caveats about its data to caution readers against 

drawing certain conclusions. For example, the following 

caution appears in the BLS news release of data comparing 

union and nonunion earnings:

The difference [between union and nonunion 

earnings] reflects a variety of influences in addition 

to coverage by a collective bargaining agreement, 

including variations in the distributions of union 

members and nonunion employees by occupation, 

industry, firm size, or geographic region.5

A second example, from the annual Highlights of Women’s Earnings, is about differences in earnings between 

men and women:

In 2007, women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median weekly earnings of $614, or 
Monthly Labor Review • June 2009

American Time Use Survey

 (ATUS)

Annual and quarterly estimates 

of how, where, and with whom 

Americans aged 15 years and older spend their time

New program began in 2003; 

first federally funded continuous 

time-use survey in the United 

States.

Only Federal survey providing 

data on the full range of nonmarket activities, from childcare 

to volunteering; the U.S. Department of Agriculture sponsored 

secondary questions on eating 

and general health in 2006–08.

Business Employment 

Dynamics (BED)

Quarterly data series on gross job 

gain (openings and expansions) 

and gross job losses (closings and 

contractions) 

Data for the BED are generated 

from the Quarterly Census of 

Employment and Wages (QCEW) 

program; national data were first 

published in 2003.

The following data series or expansions were added after 2003: 

industry detail in 2004, size class 

data in 2005, State data in 2007, 

size-of-change data in 2008.

Census of Fatal 

Occupational Injuries (CFOI)

Annual counts and rates of workplace fatalitiesNew program began in 1992; 

data previously captured as part 

of injury survey.

Began in 1992; provided special 

report on at-work fatalities as a 

result of the terrorist attacks of 

September 11, 2001; recently 

introduced rates based on hours 

worked.

Consumer Price Index (CPI) Price indexes; selected average 

prices

Price indexes from 1913 forward Introduced rental equivalence 

in 1983; introduced geometric 

mean formula in 1999; implemented biennial weight updates 

in 2002; added the Chained 

CPI-U in 2002.

Current Employment 

Statistics (CES)

Employment, hours, and earnings for the Nation, States, and 

metropolitan areas

The first monthly studies of employment and payrolls by BLS

began in 1915 and covered four 

manufacturing industries. Several States were producing employment statistics prior to 1915.

In the early 1990s, the mail-based 

CES program began a transition to 

automated data collection methods. By 2006, nearly all collection 

was done by automated techniques. 

In June 2003, the BLS completed a 

comprehensive sample redesign. 

Prior to 2003, the survey utilized 

a quota sample whose inception 

in the 1940s predated the introduction of probability sampling 

as the internationally recognized 

standard for sample surveys. In 

2006, BLS introduced hours and 

earnings series for all employees, 

to supplement the traditional 

production and nonsupervisory 

worker hours and earnings data.

Exhibit 1. Statistical programs of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009

BLS statistical program Major outputs Origins Significant events 

in past 25 years

Information on the buying habits 

of American consumers, including average annual expenditures 

and details by expense category 

such as food, housing, health care, 

and entertainment

Conducted periodically since 

1888. As the independent Diary 

and Interview surveys, continuously since 1980. To provide the 

basis for revising the weights 

and associated pricing samples 

for the CPI and to provide timely 

and detailed information on the 

spending patterns of consumers.

Consumer Expenditure Survey

 (CE)

Numerous data collection improvements, including the major transition to computer-assisted interviewing in 2003–04. 

Variance data published starting 

in 2000. Imputation of missing 

income fields starting in 2004. 

Sample redesigns in 1986, 1996, 

and 2005.
Bureau of Labor Statistics at 125

 Monthly Labor Review • June 2009

Periodic supplemental surveys were 

developed on a variety of topics, 

including displaced workers (introduced in 1984), disabled veterans 

(1985), home-based work and flexitime (1985), contingent and alternative work arrangements (1995), and 

volunteering (2002). A significant 

redesign of the survey was introduced in 1994, including computerization of the instrument, changes to 

the questionnaire, and the availability 

of new data. Survey questions on nativity (1995) and new race/ethnicity 

categories (2003) were added. Special questions to identify Hurricane 

Katrina evacuees were added to the 

CPS from October 2005 to October 

2006. Collection of monthly data on 

persons with disabilities began in 

2008.

Employment Projections Long-term industry and occupation employment projections; 

information for career planning 

and for planning education or 

training 

First projections and career information published in 1949; 

prepared on a biennial basis since 

then.

Began publishing Career Guide to 

Industries in 1992. Incorporated 

offshoring analysis system into 

projections process starting with 

2004–14 projections.

Import and Export Price 

Indexes

Prices indexes covering U.S. exports and imports of goods and 

selected services

First series started in 1971. Full 

coverage reached in 1983. 

Shifted from quarterly to monthly 

basis in 1989; in 2004, began switching from a mail survey to collecting 

data via a Web-based application. 

Industry Productivity 

and Costs

Annual measures of labor productivity and unit labor costs for 

detailed industries

Studies of output per hour in individual industries date back to 

the 1800s. 

The number of industries covered by 

labor productivity measures has more 

than tripled over the last 25 years. 

Aggregation of detailed outputs was 

improved in 1995 by introducing 

value-weighted chained superlative 

indexes in place of unit labor requirements weights. Labor compensation 

and unit labor cost series were introduced in 1999. CPI research series 

were incorporated in 2001 for deflating some industry receipts. Improvements were made to hours estimates 

for nonproduction and supervisory 

workers.

International Labor 

Comparisons

Annual and monthly data comparing the United States with more 

than 30 countries on one or more 

of the following measures: employment counts and unemployment 

rates, productivity, hourly compensation costs, and Consumer Price 

Indexes

BLS has reported on foreign labor developments and statistics 

since its earliest days; a program 

to develop internationally comparable labor statistics began in 

the 1960s and was among the 

first of its kind.

Regular publication of data comparing compensation per hour for 

manufacturing workers began in 

the 1990s, and country coverage 

has been expanded significantly in 

the 2000s. A chartbook on the international labor situation was first 

published in 1995; annual publication of the chartbook began in 2006. 

Special studies have been completed 

on labor underutilization, the family 

and work, Mexico’s labor market, and 

China’s manufacturing employment 

and labor costs.

Exhibit 1. Continued—Statistical programs of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009 

 BLS statistical program Major outputs Origins Significant events 

in past 25 years

 Current Population Survey

 (CPS)

Unemployment rate and demographic characteristics of the labor forceMonthly collection of the CPS 

began in 1940 as a Work Projects 

Administration project. Responsibility for the planning, analysis, and 

publication of labor force statistics 

from the CPS was transferred to 

BLS in 1959.
Monthly Labor Review • June 2009 

International Technical 

Cooperation

Provides technical assistance on labor statistics to economists, statisticians, and policymakers throughout 

the world. Coordinates BLS participation in international cooperative 

activities.

Carroll Wright, the first BLS Commissioner, strongly supported and 

encouraged international cooperation activities. BLS international 

technical assistance programs formally began as part of the Marshall 

Plan to rebuild Europe and Japan 

following World War II. 

This program expanded during 

the early 1990s to assist statistical agencies in new democracies 

in eastern Europe. BLS activities 

included sponsoring an international conference on statistical 

needs of economies in transition. 

Since 2001, demand to conduct 

BLS technical assistance programs 

overseas has grown. Today, BLS

staff conduct training programs 

and serve as consultants under the 

auspices of international organizations and direct foreign government sponsorship in countries 

throughout the world. 

Job Openings and Labor 

Turnover Survey (JOLTS)

Monthly rates and levels of job openings; monthly and annual rates and 

levels of hires, quits, layoffs, discharges, 

and other separations

New program begun in 1999. Data 

series starts with December 2000.

Program began collecting data in 

2000. Began releasing monthly 

data as a developmental series 

in July 2002. Became official BLS

series in April 2004.

Local Area Unemployment

Statistics (LAUS)

Monthly and annual average estimates of the labor force, unemployment, and the unemployment 

rate for nearly 7,300 areas that 

geographically exhaust the United 

States

Program was transferred to BLS

from another DOL agency in 1972.

The first stand-alone PC-based

estimating system was provided to States in 1983.

Modeling of estimates for States 

was initiated in 1989, and two 

newer generations of models have 

been implemented since then. A 

major redesign of the program 

was completed in 2005.

Major Sector Productivity 

and Costs

Quarterly and annual measures 

of output per hour and unit labor 

costs for the nonfarm business 

sector and other sectors

Total private-sector labor productivity measures were first published in 1959; BLS switched to 

the “business sector” in 1976.

After extensive consultation with 

the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), in 1996 BLS switched 

its business-sector output measures from the “income side” to 

the “product side” of the National 

Income and Product Accounts 

and also based these measures on 

BEA’s new “chain-type annual indexes.” These improvements have 

reduced the number of revisions 

to the series. 

Exhibit 1. Continued—Statistical programs of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009 

 BLS statistical program Major outputs Origins Significant events 

in past 25 years

Plant closings and mass layoffs 

involving at least 50 people who 

filed unemployment insurance 

claims against an employer over 

a 5–week period, for the Nation 

and States, by detailed industry; 

extended plant closings and layoffs lasting more than 30 days, by 

State and detailed characteristics 

of the layoff

Program began in 1984 at the 

direction of Congress. After the 

program was terminated in December 1992, Congress restored 

it in 1994.

Nationwide participation in the 

MLS program in 1994. A standalone PC-based operating system 

was provided to States in 1995. In 

1996, the monthly news release 

on all layoffs, regardless of duration, was introduced. In 2000, a 

major program review involving 

BLS, the Employment and Training Adminstration (ETA), and the 

States was conducted. In 2004, 

the collection of data on job losses 

due to offshoring and outsourcing 

was initiated.

 Mass Layoff Statistics

(MLS)
Bureau of Labor Statistics at 125

 Monthly Labor Review • June 2009

National Compensation 

Survey (NCS), including 

the Employment Cost Index 

(ECI) 

Quarterly rates of change in employer costs for wages and benefits; 

quarterly employer costs for wages 

and benefits; annual national, regional, and locality pay data by 

occupation; annual data on the incidence and characteristics of employee 

benefits

Studies of occupational wages in 

specific industries were among the 

earliest studies conducted by the 

BLS; ad hoc studies of employee 

benefits and workplace practices 

were also conducted periodically. 

After World War II, the need for 

occupational wage data by locality and industry was recognized; 

first sample of localities used to 

represent all metropolitan areas 

was introduced in 1960. Studies of 

wage and benefit costs date to the 

late 1950s; the current Employment Cost Index was introduced 

in 1976. The current benefits program began in 1979.

Separate Employment Cost Index (ECI), occupational wage, and 

employee benefit programs were 

combined in the mid-1990s to 

create the National Compensation Survey, which uses a single 

sample, collection process, and 

estimation methodology for all 

outputs. In 2009, the first locality ECI estimates were published 

for 14 large metropolitan areas. 

Annual wage and benefit cost 

levels were introduced in 1987; 

quarterly data were introduced 

in 2002. To meet the needs of 

the 1990 Federal Employees Pay 

Comparability Act, occupational 

wage data expanded from initial 

coverage for a fixed set of occupations to the current random 

selection from all occupations. 

Benefits data have expanded 

over time to the current coverage of all private industry and 

State and local governments.

National Longitudinal Survey 

(NLS)

Microdata from periodic interviews of a constant sample of 

people regarding working, education, and other life experiences 

Used by researchers in government and academia.

Began in the mid–1960s with four 

cohorts of individuals who were 

followed into the 2000s.

A new cohort of youths aged 

12–16 years was started in 1997. 

More than 2,000 articles using 

NLS data have been written in 

scholarly journals in the last 25 

years.

The first set of manufacturing MFP measures comparing 

“sectoral output” (instead of 

real value added) with inputs of 

capital (C), labor, (L) energy (E), 

non-energy materials (M), and 

business services (all together 

KLEMS) was published in 1987. 

Estimates of the effects of the 

education and experience of the 

work force on private business 

productivity were issued in 1993. 

A set of KLEMS MFP measures 

for nonmanufacturing industries was prepared and used to 

critique the quality of available 

real output measures in 1999. A 

comprehensive set of MFP measures for detailed manufacturing 

industries was introduced in 

2000.

Multifactor productivity (MFP) 

measures for private business were 

first issued in 1983. This report 

went a step beyond labor productivity analysis by accounting for 

capital inputs as well as labor. 

Annual measures for the private 

business sector and selected industries. These measures expand 

the list of inputs with which output is compared. 

Multifactor Productivity

 (Industry and Major Sector) 

 Exhibit 1. Continued—Statistical programs of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009

 BLS statistical program Major outputs Origins Significant events 

in past 25 years
Monthly Labor Review • June 2009

about 80 percent of the $766 median for their male 

counterparts. This ratio has grown since 1979. . .when 

women earned about 62 percent as much as men. . . . 

Readers should note that the comparisons of earnings 

in this report are on a broad level and do not control 

for many factors that can be significant in explaining 

earnings differences.6

Because the statements that the BLS makes about its data 

are limited to fact-based descriptions and analysis, journalists and commentators often go elsewhere to obtain policy 

and political reactions.

Producer Price Index (PPI) Family of indexes that measure 

average change over time in selling prices received by domestic 

producers of goods and services

 Exhibit 1. Continued—Statistical programs of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009 

 BLS statistical program Major outputs Origins Significant events 

in past 25 years

Began in 1902 as Wholesale Price 

Index and is oldest continuous 

statistical series published by BLS. 

Comprehensive overhaul in 1978 

resulted in restructured Producer 

Price Indexes.

Major expansion in coverage 

of services (from less than 1 

percent of services GDP in 1985 

to more than 77 percent now); 

added indexes for several types 

of nonresidential building construction in 2002–08; conversion to use of broadcast fax for 

mail surveys beginning in late 

1990s. 

Quarterly Census 

of Employment and Wages

 (QCEW)

Monthly employment and quarterly wages by detailed industry 

and geography down to the county level

Economic and statistical responsibility for the QCEW program 

(formerly known as ES–202) was 

transferred to BLS from the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) in 1972. Full funding 

and administrative responsibility 

were transferred to BLS in 1984.

Worksite- and establishment-level

reporting was instituted in 1991–

92. The program began to geocode data at the establishment 

level in 2003. The data review and 

publication process was accelerated by 3 weeks in 2005. 

Survey of Occupational 

Injuries and Illnesses (SOII)

Annual counts and rates of workplace injuries and illnesses

Periodic data collection since 

1910s; annual survey began in 

1973.

Several external reviews in late 

1980s; significant program revisions in early 1990s added demographics of injured workers 

and characteristics of incident; 

recent addition of rates by occupation and demographics.

Protecting confidentiality; reducing burden 

Carroll D. Wright, the first Commissioner of Labor Statistics, defined the principles that are followed by the BLS

to this day. Among those principles were “firsthand data 

collection, voluntary reporting and confidentiality of returns.” 7

 Although the methods of data collection have 

changed dramatically, the principles of voluntary reporting and confidentiality continue to be the focus for all BLS

data collection activities.8

The BLS and its regional offices, State agencies, and 

contractors collect a wide range of data from employOccupational Employment 

Statistics (OES)

Annual occupational employment 

and wage data by geographical 

area or industry

tional employment estimates published since late 1980s; wage and 

geographical area data since late 

1990s.

Initial data collection efforts began in late 1960s and early 1970s; 

national industry-specific occupaindustry available once every 3 

years; in late 1990s, program expanded to include wage information, to cover all industries in each 

year, and to produce national, 

State, and local area cross-industry data. 

National industry-specific occupational employment estimates 

developed in late 1980s, with each
Bureau of Labor Statistics at 125

10 Monthly Labor Review • June 2009

ers—data on employment, wages, compensation, prices, 

and workplace safety and health—for input into two 

dozen surveys and programs. In general, the BLS and its 

partners enjoy good relationships with employers and obtain data from a large proportion of those surveyed. Still, 

the relationship between the BLS and survey respondents 

has changed considerably over the past 25 years, and the 

Agency has had to take a number of steps to maintain and 

improve the way it interacts with employers.

One of the biggest changes has been an explosion of 

new technology, particularly in the area of communications. Today, data requested by the BLS often are available electronically, reducing the employer’s burden of 

compiling data. Along with this expansion of electronic 

records, however, comes heightened concern about security. Although the BLS has always pledged that employers’ data would remain confidential and would be used for 

statistical purposes and only in the aggregate, the threat of 

inadvertent disclosure of the data adds to the complexity 

of maintaining confidentiality.

A major milestone in the 125-year history of the 

BLS came in 2002 with the passage of the Confidential 

Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act 

(CIPSEA). This law provides statutory protection of data 

collected by a Federal Agency under a pledge of confidentiality for exclusively statistical purposes (a principle 

that is essential for gaining the cooperation of both employers and individuals). The law also allows the BLS, the 

Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the Census Bureau to 

enter into data-sharing agreements to promote statistical 

efficiency.9

In addition to exerting efforts to allay fears about data 

security and confidentiality, the BLS has undertaken 

many initiatives over the past quarter century to use technology and automation to make it easier for respondents 

to provide data. Often, the efforts focus on methods that 

work at the convenience of the employer. For example, 

rather than having to schedule a visit or call from a BLS

representative at a particular time, employers frequently 

can provide information at their convenience. (See box, 

pages 11–12.)

The same individuals and organizations that provide 

data to BLS frequently are users of BLS data as well. To 

capitalize on these unique relationships, the BLS often 

uses a “corporate” strategy to coordinate the collection of 

data for multiple programs, thereby reducing the number of independent contacts with the employer. By understanding the full nature of the employer’s data needs, 

the BLS can offer customized data products to meet those 

needs—these days frequently provided over the Internet.

Some BLS programs are administered in conjunction 

with the States. The relationship between BLS and the 

States has changed considerably over the past quarter century. Beginning in 1984, the BLS has been responsible for 

the administration of agreements with the States for both 

labor market information and safety and health statistics. 

The BLS has full responsibility for planning, managing, 

and funding all the Federal-State cooperative programs.

The Federal-State cooperative activities allow State 

governments to leverage their existing relationships with 

employers, which can assist in building cooperation. The 

BLS and State representatives also work together through 

the Workforce Information Council to improve State and 

local data.10 Through these efforts and others, the availability of State and local labor market data has greatly 

expanded over the past quarter century. For example, in 

recent years the Current Employment Statistics (CES) 

program has expanded the amount of seasonally adjusted 

payroll employment data to the point that such data are 

now available for all States and nearly all metropolitan 

areas. In the same vein, the Local Area Unemployment 

Statistics (LAUS) program provides monthly estimates of 

employment and unemployment for 7,300 areas, including States, counties, and cities.

Employers responding to BLS data requests are remarkably generous with their time. This high degree of 

voluntary cooperation stems from two sources: (1) the 

high level of professionalism of the data collection staff 

and (2) the great care the BLS takes to protect the confidentiality of the information that respondents furnish. 

These partnerships with employers have been instrumental in maintaining consistently high response rates as well 

as high-quality data.11 To maintain close relationships 

with employers and partners within State governments, 

the BLS realigned its regional offices in 1999. The streamlined regional structure (moving from eight to six regional 

offices) provided greater flexibility for the BLS to meet the 

needs of respondents and data users.

Relevance to economic and social conditions

The Act establishing the BLS (originally called the Bureau of Labor) within the Department of the Interior was 

signed by President Chester A. Arthur on June 27, 1884, 

and mandated that the Commissioner “shall collect information upon the subject of labor, its relation to capital, 

the hours of labor, and the earnings of laboring men and 

women, and the means of promoting their material, social, 

intellectual, and moral prosperity.”12

Since its inception, the BLS has focused many of its 
Monthly Labor Review • June 2009 11

New technology calls for the development, testing, and 

implementation of new methodologies. The explosion of the 

capabilities of microcomputers and other telecommunication 

features of the 1980s spawned experimentation and the largescale implementation of new methods for collecting data for 

all BLS programs. The Current Employment Statistics (CES) 

program has been especially at the forefront of electronic 

collection efforts, driven in part by the rapid turnaround 

time needed between collection and publication of monthly 

payroll employment data. The CES program tested a number 

of alternative data capture methods, including touch-tone 

data entry and computer-assisted telephone interviewing. 

The first touch-tone data entry and voice recognition technologies were included in new methods that substantially 

increased response rates for CES data. An electronic data 

interchange collection center opened in Chicago in 1995 to 

handle electronic data submissions from large firms. Also, 

the CES program implemented the first Internet collection in 

an ongoing Federal survey in 1996. Indeed, what was once an 

all-mail collection is now practically all collected by a costeffective array of telephone- and Internet-based methods. 

And this work continues to evolve with technology and the 

needs of respondents. The work has been copied, modified, 

and designed to meet the specific needs of many programs in 

the BLS and around the world. 

The BLS Internet Data Collection Facility (IDCF) is a centralized resource currently available to all BLS programs for electronic 

data collection. The IDCF uses a standard interface and security 

protocol for users to enter the facility, so that respondents to multiple surveys will not need different logon IDs or passwords. Once 

in the system, respondents may see different collection methods 

or different entry screens, depending upon which survey they are 

completing; however, applications adhere to design standards 

that result in the same “look and feel.”

The IDCF contains two approaches to Internet data collection: standard and “lite.” Using the standard format, respondents may be able to see data from their establishment 

from a prior period and can then enter current-period data. 

Respondents can save incomplete information and return to 

complete their entry at a later date. Alternatively, the “lite” 

version, typically used for small amounts of data capture, has 

a simpler logon procedure and does not show previous-period data. Respondents must enter all of their data during 

one session, because data cannot be saved. The two versions 

were designed to meet different needs: greater security, availability of data from a previous period, and multiple logons 

for more complex requests (standard collection), compared 

with simple logon and entry for simpler requests (“lite” data 

collection). Both versions have been successful.

Like the CES program, the Survey of Occupational InjuInteraction with data providers in an electronic age

studies on current economic and social conditions. Early 

studies “were broadly conceived and directed at social issues such as marriage and divorce, temperance, and laboring women and children, but, with periodic economic depressions and a growing industrial labor force, the Bureau 

was called upon increasingly to deal with more strictly 

economic issues such as wages, hours of work, prices, and 

the cost of living.”13 These core economic topics—wages, employment, hours of work, and prices—along with 

worker productivity and safety, continue to represent the 

fundamental statistics produced by the BLS. But changing 

economic and social conditions have led to an expansion 

in the topics covered, such as employer-provided childcare, the price of cellular phone service, and the identification of green jobs. Even in just a 25-year period, there 

are many examples of modifications in BLS programs and 

outputs made in recognition of a changing world.

Classification systems. One method of providing consistent 

data on a variety of topics is through the use of standard 

classification systems. To categorize data, the BLS utilizes 

several classification systems, some exclusively, others as a 

result of collaboration within the U.S. Government statistical community, and still others as a result of agreements 

with multiple countries.

Perhaps the most widely used of these systems among 

all BLS programs is the industry classification system, 

which has undergone radical changes over the past 25 

years. Gone are separate categories for chewing-gum 

manufacturers (now part of nonchocolate confectionary 

manufacturing) and girdle manufacturers (now included 

among manufacturers of lingerie and nightwear); added 

are many new categories, often with a technological bent, 

such as satellite telecommunications. Standardization of 

industry classification in the United States began in the 

1930s; early work soon became the Standard Industrial 

Classification (SIC) system. The SIC was updated sporadically over 60 years, before rapid changes in the types of 
Bureau of Labor Statistics at 125

12 Monthly Labor Review • June 2009

ries and Illnesses (SOII) has had considerable success in moving its sample of more than 200,000 establishments toward 

electronic collection. Depending upon an establishment’s injury and illness experience, data entry can be quite extensive. 

In 2003, the survey began offering the Internet as an optional 

data collection mode; included with the lengthy paper survey 

form was a flyer describing how respondents could enter their 

data over the Internet. That year, about 10,000 establishments 

did so, and over the next 3 years Internet data collection grew, 

despite limited marketing, to 53,000 establishments in 2006. 

In an attempt to further encourage Internet collection, beginning in 2007 survey forms were eliminated from the mailing 

sent to some establishments. As a result, Internet collection 

ballooned: in 2008, almost 100,000 establishments used the 

Internet to enter data. Beginning in 2009, nearly all establishments receive a short mailing requesting that data be entered 

over the Internet.

One activity that has helped to test and improve the IDCF is 

the use of “eye-tracking” technology (see photo below) through 

the BLS cognitive laboratory. The technology can follow a 

subject’s eyes as he or she looks at a computer screen and, in 

particular, at a Web site. Changes to data collection screens, 

especially as regards where and how instructions are presented, 

were made on the basis of the results of eye-tracking tests.

The BLS also has attempted to expand the information 

available to respondents, to make it clear how important their 

continued cooperation is to all BLS programs. Over the past few 

years, several BLS programs have added Internet pages targeted 

specifically at respondents. These pages typically provide questions and answers about the survey, including answers such as 

how establishments are selected and BLS procedures for maintaining the confidentiality of respondent data; definitions of, 

and concepts having to do with, the data being collected; and 

how respondents (and all employers) can use the results of data 

collection. The BLS expanded upon these pages in 2006, testing 

a new respondent page with detailed instructions for completing survey forms. Finally, as part of the 2008 Internet redesign, 

BLS introduced a set of pages with information targeted at selected audiences, including a “Survey Respondents” page that 

explains the importance of individual establishment responses 

and highlights the confidentiality precautions that the Agency 

takes. (See photo below.) The page has links to respondent information for many surveys, some of which have been updated 

to expand upon earlier test pages for respondents.

Continued—Interaction with data providers in an electronic age

domestic industries and increased globalization led the 

United States, Mexico, and Canada to work together to 

develop a standard classification across the three countries in 1997: the North American Industry Classification 

System (NAICS).14 Nearly every BLS program has some 

industry component, and all have converted to NAICS

over the past decade. The box on page 13 provides a brief 

description of several classification systems: industries, 

occupations, geographic areas, characteristics of worker 

injuries and illnesses, and expenditures. Each system has 

been updated over the past 25 years to keep pace with the 

ever-changing economy.
Monthly Labor Review • June 2009 1

 

Much of the data captured and published by the Bureau of 

Labor Statistics is categorized by a variety of classification systems. What follows is a brief description of some of the major 

classification systems used for BLS data.

Industry: NAICS 

Developed under a production-oriented conceptual framework 

in cooperation with Canada and Mexico, the North American 

Industry Classification System (NAICS) represents one of the 

most profound changes for statistical programs focusing on 

emerging economic activities. NAICS groups establishments 

into industries on the basis of the activity in which the establishments are primarily engaged. Establishments using similar 

raw-material inputs, similar capital equipment, and similar labor are classified into the same industry. In other words, establishments that do similar things in similar ways are classified 

together. (For more information on NAICS, which was introduced in 1997, see “North American Industry Classification 

System (NAICS) at BLS” (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 13, 

2009), on the Internet at www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm, visited 

June 17, 2009.)

Occupation: SOC 

The 2000 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system 

was developed in response to a growing need for a universal 

occupational classification system. Such a system allows government agencies and private industry to produce comparable 

data. Users of occupational data include government program 

managers, industrial and labor relations practitioners, students 

considering career training, jobseekers, vocational training 

schools, and employers wishing to set salary scales or locate 

a new plant. Used by Federal agencies collecting occupational 

data, SOC provides a means of comparing occupational data 

across agencies. Reflecting the current occupational structure 

in the United States, the SOC system is designed to cover all 

occupations in which work is performed for pay or profit. The 

2000 SOC is the result of a cooperative effort on the part of all 

Federal Agencies that use occupational classification systems 

to maximize the usefulness of occupational information collected by the Federal Government. The BLS plays a leading role 

in occupational classification by chairing the SOC Policy Committee, which is currently developing revisions to the system 

that are to be implemented in 2010. (For more information 

on SOC, see “Standard Occupational Classification” (Bureau of 

Labor Statistics, no date), on the Internet at www.bls.gov/soc, 

visited June 17, 2009.)

Geography: statistical areas

The BLS produces certain data series by State and by smaller 

geographic divisions, including metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas. These areas are defined by the U.S. Office 

of Management and Budget and are revised following each 

decennial census. The general concept of a metropolitan or 

micropolitan statistical area is that of a core area containing 

a substantial population nucleus, together with adjacent communities having a high degree of economic and social integration with that core. Currently defined metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas are based on the application of 2000 

standards to 2000 decennial census data. (For more information on definitions of geographic areas, see “Metropolitan and 

Micropolitan Statistical Areas” (U.S. Census Bureau, no date), 

on the Internet at www.census.gov/population/www/metroareas/aboutmetro.html, visited June 17, 2009.)

Workplace injuries and illnesses: OIICS

The Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System 

(OIICS) is the classification system that is used to code the 

case characteristics of injuries, illnesses, and fatalities in the 

BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) and 

Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). Worker injuries, illnesses, and fatalities are classified by the following 

characteristics: nature of injury or illness, part of body affected, 

source (primary or secondary) of injury or illness, and event or 

exposure. For example, a nurse sprains (nature) her back (part 

of body) from overexertion in lifting (event) a health care patient (source). The OIICS was originally developed by the BLS

in 1992; other organizations have adopted this coding structure for their own use. The most recent update of the OIICS

was in 2007. (For more information on the characteristics 

of workplace injuries and illnesses, see Injuries, Illnesses, and 

Fatalities: Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Manual

(Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 11, 2008), on the Internet at 

www.bls.gov/iif/oshoiics.htm, visited June 17, 2009.)

Expenditures on goods and services

The BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) classify goods and services purchased for 

consumption into several hundred categories, which are then 

aggregated and published by major group, such as food, housing, apparel, transportation, health care, and recreation. While 

the major groups are kept consistent over time, the classifications are updated as new or changed goods and services are 

identified. (The CE information booklet Consumer Expenditure Surveys: Quarterly Interview Survey (Bureau of Labor 

Statistics, Apr. 1, 2009), on the Internet at www.bls.gov/

cex/current/i_infobook.pdf, visited June 17, 2009, provides 

more detail on the groupings of expenditures. The current CPI

structure is discussed in Appendix 3 of the December 1996 

issue of the Monthly Labor Review.)

BLS classification systems
Bureau of Labor Statistics at 125

14 Monthly Labor Review • Jun  20

Employment data. Within the BLS employment programs, a major redesign of the Current Population Survey 

(CPS)—the source of national unemployment data—was 

implemented in 1994. The primary objective of the redesign was to improve the quality of the data derived from 

the survey; this was done by introducing a new questionnaire and modernized data collection methods.15 The redesign had four main objectives: 

• to adopt a computer-assisted interviewing environment,

• to measure the official labor force concepts more

precisely,

• to expand the amount of data available, and

• to implement several definitional changes.16

These changes led to the refinement of several alternative 

measures of unemployment that have been available for 

many years. Because of the redesign, the BLS now publishes six monthly measures of labor underutilization; 

these measures gain considerable attention especially during periods of rising unemployment.17 One such measure 

identifies those individuals who presently are working 

part time although they would prefer to work full time. 

Chart 1 shows the trend in each of the different measures 

of unemployment over the past several years.

In addition to refining its statistics, the BLS has expanded its employment statistics programs considerably 

over the past 25 years. Among surveys of households, the 

American Time Use Survey released its first-ever estimates 

in 2004 and the National Longitudinal Survey introduced 

a new survey of youth in 1997. Together, these programs 

provide a valuable look into the worklife and related economic and social activities of Americans, offering insight 

into work-family issues, changes in training requirements 

for the labor force, and the expansion of technology at 

work and at home. More recently, new data from the CPS

on the employment status of individuals with disabilities 

were introduced in 2009.

From surveys of employers, the BLS added the Job 

Openings and Labor Turnover Survey and began publishing Business Establishment Dynamics data from the 

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. These programs help data users understand the underlying ebbs and 

flows in the labor market that might otherwise be masked 

by broader measures of employment and unemployment.18

In addition, the CES program was redesigned to improve 

statistical precision and broaden coverage to all workers, 

while the Occupational Employment Statistics program 

added to its publication of occupational staffing patterns 

Chart 1. Alternative measures of labor underutilization, seasonally adjusted, 1994–2009

NOTE: Shaded areas represent recessions as determined by the 

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). NBER has not yet determined an endpoint for the recession that began in December 2007.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey.

1

1

1

12

10

2

0

Percent Percent

1

1

1

12

10

2

0

Jan 1994 Jan 199  Jan 200  Jan 203  Jan 2006  Ja

U–

U–5

U–

U–2

U–1

U–

U-1: Persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer, as a percent of the civilian labor force 

U-2: Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs, as a percent of the civilian labor force 

U-3: Total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor force (official unemployment rate

U-4: Total unemployed plus discouraged workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus discouraged workers

U-5: Total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all other marginally attached workers, as a percent of the civilian 

labor force plus all marginally attached workers

U-6: Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached worker
Monthly Labor Review • June 2009 15

by including wages associated with those occupations. The 

Employment Projections program improved data on occupations and training requirements, while the Mass Layoff Statistics program added data on job losses associated 

with offshoring and outsourcing.

Compensation data. The past quarter century has yielded 

a considerable number of changes in the type (and magnitude) of worker compensation; the BLS has made every attempt to track those changes. Employer costs for benefits 

have more than doubled from $3.58 per hour worked in 

1986 to $7.98 per hour worked in 2008. As a percentage 

of total employer compensation costs, however, benefits 

in private industry have been relatively stable: 27 percent 

of compensation costs in 1986 and 29 percent in 2008.19

The benefits available have become more varied and more 

complex, and the responsibility for understanding and 

taking full advantage of benefit programs has shifted considerably from employers to employees. For example, in 

the early 1980s, traditional pension plans were quite prevalent; by 2008, such guaranteed plans had largely disappeared for private-sector workers. In their place are 401(k) 

and similar plans, often requiring workers to contribute 

in order to receive any contributions from their employer. 

The shift in retirement plans has had added complexities 

over the past 25 years, including the introduction of hybrid plans and employer activities that either canceled or 

froze existing plans. To provide data on each of these topics, the BLS has made numerous revisions to its benefits 

program in recent years.20 Policymakers use BLS benefits 

data to determine the need for changes to social programs 

and tax structures, among other things.

Workplace health care benefits have changed as well. 

As the BLS celebrated its centennial in 1984, health insurance plans—often employer-paid “basic” benefits plus 

“major medical”—were just beginning to change. Health 

care inflation was high in the 1980s (see charts 2 and 3), 

one of several factors that may have led employers to begin 

a series of changes to the benefits they provide. Legislative changes also influenced what employers were offering.21 First came health maintenance organizations, then 

preferred provider organizations, followed by point-ofservice plans, and, finally, consumer-driven health care.22

Employee premiums and employees’ share of total premiums grew, as did out-of-pocket expenses such as deductibles and copayments. One overarching theme of these 

changes has been the introduction of more choice and 

more responsibility for employees. Both of these features 

are evident in new arrangements such as medical savings 

plans and health reimbursement accounts. Benefits data 

from the BLS National Compensation Survey have been 

expanded and redefined over time to keep up with these 

and other changes in employee benefits.

Beyond changes in retirement and health benefits, employees at the end of the first decade of the 2000s have access to such benefits as childcare assistance, parental leave, 

long-term care insurance, and financial counseling. Employers are establishing employee assistance and wellness 

programs to care for the well-being of their workforces. 

In addition, the traditional notion of the workday is no 

longer as rigid as it once was, with telework arrangements 

gaining considerable attention. The BLS reports on the 

percentage of workers who have these workplace options.

Price data. The BLS has produced data on prices and 

expenditures—consumer prices, producer prices, import 

and export prices, and consumer expenditures—for much 

of its history. Originally focused on the cost of living for 

U.S. workers, today’s data expand upon that concept to 

provide broader measures of inflation, price levels, and 

expenditure patterns. The CPI is used to adjust billions of 

dollars in Federal payments and programs, including annual adjustments to Social Security benefits and income 

tax brackets. Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) data are 

used to adjust the standard sales tax amounts that can be 

deducted from Federal income taxes. CPI and Producer 

Price Index (PPI) data also are used as escalators in wage 

and price contracts, and PPI data are used as well to deflate a variety of economic time series, such as measures 

of inventories and sales, that are input into gross domestic 

product (GDP) calculations.

The wide use of BLS price measures and the large sums 

of money that are dependent upon such measures demand 

that they be precise and up to date. Several enhancements 

have occurred over the past quarter century to improve the 

accuracy of these data and maintain their relevance. In the 

CPI, expenditure weights, which are derived from patterns 

captured in the CE, are now updated every 2 years, rather 

than the less frequent updates that occurred prior to 2002. 

By updating the CPI market basket of goods and services 

used to construct the index, as well as the weights associated with those goods and services, the CPI improves its 

measurement of price changes for current U.S. consumers. 

For example, computing services represented 0.2 percent 

of the CPI market basket of goods and services in 1984; a 

quarter century later, such services have increased to 0.9 

percent of the market basket—a fourfold increase reflecting their increased prevalence in the lives of Americans. 

The PPI has made significant progress toward its goal of 

expanding coverage of the U.S. economy. In 1985, only 1 
Bureau of Labor Statistics at 125

16 Monthly Labor Review • Jun  20

2

22

1

1

10

2

–2

percent of services, as measured by the GDP, was covered 

by the PPI; currently, 77 percent of services are included 

in the PPI, reflecting the growth in service industries in 

the Nation’s economy. The PPI has been recognized for the 

development of innovative measures in health care and 

nonresidential buildings and specialty trades.

Other BLS data. Over the last 25 years, the BLS has improved the relevance of its productivity measures for the 

domestic economy in a number of ways: by improving 

consistency with the GDP National Accounts at the major 

sector and subsector level, by conducting research into factors affecting productivity, by expanding coverage of industry productivity, and by incorporating broader measures 

of multifactor productivity for industries as well as major 

sectors. As a result of improvements to the BLS productivity series and expanded visibility of these data, several 

countries, including Canada, Australia, and the European 

Union, have started producing multifactor productivity 

measures in the past few years, adopting approaches first 

used by the BLS.

23

The BLS international labor comparisons program began in the 1960s, with comparisons of unemployment and 

productivity for a few major industrial countries. In the 

past 25 years, the program has maintained its relevance 

by expanding coverage of both indicators and countries. 

The main indicator added was international comparisons 

of manufacturing compensation costs, an important measure of competitiveness in tandem with productivity. With 

globalization, the needs of policymakers for comparative 

data on developing countries increased. The BLS met those 

needs by instituting studies of Mexico, China, India, and 

other countries that are of growing importance in international trade. In particular, the work on Mexico has been 

useful to those analyzing the labor market impact of the 

North American Free Trade Agreement.24 The work on 

China and India has focused on hourly compensation and 

employment in manufacturing.

For some statistical measures, maintaining relevance 

comes from added detail. In the case of data on worker 

safety and health, the BLS changed its focus in the early 

1990s in order to capture both the demographics of 

workers who are injured, taken ill, or killed and the circumstances that affected the individual. Today, not only 

are the available statistics on worker safety and health detailed and extensive, but some items added over the past 

quarter century highlight a variety of current workplace 

safety concerns:

Chart 2. Employment Cost Index, 12-month change, private industry, cost of total benefits and cost of health 

 benefits, 1982–2009

Percent Percent

2

22

1

1

10

2

–2

1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997 2000 2

Health benefits

Total benefits
Monthly Labor Review • June 2009 1

• Identification of workers with musculoskeletal 

disorders;

• Identification of categories of perpetrators in work-

 place homicide cases, including family members,

customers or clients, and robbers;

• Identification of the time of the incident and the

length of time the employee had been at work when

 a workplace injury occurred;

• Identification of fatally injured Hispanic workers as

 either native or foreign born.

Reacting to unique circumstances. Although the BLS

attempts to keep track of changes to the economy and 

seeks to anticipate the need to refine its programs, unforeseen circumstances can occur that require quick 

reaction. Two examples over the past quarter century 

are the terrorist attacks in September 2001 and Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Both events stressed 

the BLS systems for capturing current and accurate 

data; both also resulted in the release of new or different outputs to reflect the specific economic condition. 

To ensure that statistics were reported accurately and 

completely, the BLS quickly introduced new procedures 

Chart 3. Growth in CPI-U and CPI-medical care, 1984–2008, not seasonally adjusted

and collection methods for identifying the operational 

status of businesses while minimizing disruption to 

respondents.

The 2001 terrorist attacks led to the special publication of workplace fatality data on individuals who were in 

“work status” when they were killed in the attacks. Among 

those included were office workers at the World Trade 

Center and the Pentagon, business travelers on each of 

the airplanes that were hijacked, and rescue workers killed 

in their attempt to save victims. Of the workers who were 

fatally injured as a result of the terrorist attacks, 80 percent were working in an office building, 14 percent were 

involved in rescue efforts, and the remainder were airline 

passengers.25

Soon after Hurricane Katrina hit, the monthly CES

program modified its procedures in recognition of the fact 

that many employers in heavily affected areas were likely 

to be temporarily or permanently out of business. Further, 

the BLS provided estimates of the effect of the hurricane 

on national payroll employment: the loss of 35,000 jobs 

in September 2005 was in stark contrast to the average 

monthly gain of 194,000 over the previous 12 months.26

Finally, special questions were added to the CPS to identify individuals displaced by the hurricane.

35

30

250

200

150

100

50

35

30

250

200

150

100

50

1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 20

Index

(1984 = 10

Index

(1984 = 10

CPI-U 

CPI–medical care
Bureau of Labor Statistics at 125

18 Monthly Labor Review • Jun  20

The BLS released new Internet pages that showed the 

number of employees and business establishments in the 

counties that had been declared a disaster area following 

Hurricane Katrina. This feature of the Internet site was 

one of the first examples of “quick response” capabilities 

that the BLS has built; other examples have included special information on workplace fatalities related to mine 

cave-ins and crane collapses, employment effects of floods 

and hurricanes, and information on employment trends in 

finance, automotive, and other industries in the news.

Improved accuracy and timeliness

There are many examples of successful, ongoing efforts 

to improve the accuracy of BLS outputs. What these efforts frequently have in common is both the input of staff 

from many different disciplines to develop the best possible product and the advice of data users and other external experts. The BLS employs economists, statisticians, 

information technology specialists, behavioral scientists, 

program analysts, financial management specialists, and 

practitioners of many other disciplines; the Agency is 

organized by subject (employment, prices, compensation, 

and productivity), but also by areas of expertise (technology, data collection, publications, statistical methods, and 

administration). Professionals from each of these disciplines work together to build consensus around the best 

possible products.

High-quality methodology and research at the BLS

flow from sustained and carefully focused long-term 

investments. An example of such an investment comes 

from 1988, when Commissioner Janet Norwood secured 

funding for laboratory-based research to improve survey 

measurement, leading to the integration of behavioral science theories and methods within the statistical sciences. 

Early work in the behavioral science research laboratory, 

also known as the cognitive laboratory, used the theories 

and methods of cognitive science to investigate accuracy, 

timeliness, and response burden by evaluating the effects 

of alternative wording and ordering of questions, variations in the design and structure of questionnaires, the 

mode of data collection on the quality of survey data, and 

the accuracy and timeliness of survey responses. BLS laboratory research has since expanded to all aspects of data 

collection, including interviewer training, computer-assisted interviewing technology, data processing, and areas 

outside of data collection, such as the dissemination of 

data and customer satisfaction. In another example, economic research units associated with each BLS program 

provide both expertise in program development and independent research.

One example in which the cognitive laboratory has 

had a valuable and ongoing impact on BLS operations 

is its review of the BLS Internet Data Collection Facility, which supports Web-based data collection for several 

BLS programs. Since its inception and throughout several 

iterations, the facility has gone through cognitive usability 

testing, designed to identify how respondents will react 

to data collection screens and how best to design those 

screens to get the desired data from respondents. Recent 

tests have included high-technology eye-tracking software that follows a user’s eye as he or she reads an Internet 

screen and enters information. Such testing has optimized 

the user experience when reporting data and furthered the 

BLS mission of providing timely and accurate data.

In the area of statistical methods, the BLS also has 

invested in research activities designed to improve the 

accuracy and statistical soundness of various of its programs. Projects such as the conversion of the CES survey 

to a probability sample and improvements to seasonal 

adjustment techniques for many BLS programs come 

directly from this research. The Local Area Unemployment Statistics program, the first BLS program to use a 

model-based approach to estimation, incorporates regular 

updates to the modeling process.

Through both formal and informal means, the BLS

reaches out beyond its borders to obtain input from 

many users. At present, the Agency has two formal 

advisory groups: the Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee (FESAC) and the Data Users Advisory 

Committee (DUAC). FESAC is a joint effort among the 

BLS, the Census Bureau, and the Bureau of Economic 

Analysis. FESAC members are generally from academic 

institutions and have backgrounds in economics, statistics, behavioral science, and related disciplines. The 

group meets with senior staff from the three statistical 

agencies; the agenda typically includes presentations on 

topics of interest across the agencies, such as inputs into 

the GDP accounts, statistical methods, and changes to 

industry or occupational classifications. The sessions include time for discussing ongoing research by the academicians, who often partner with Agency staff on projects 

of mutual interest. FESAC has been active since 1999, 

and the input of the various experts has led to improvements in the American Time Use Survey and in the PPI,

among other BLS programs.

The DUAC is a recently formed advisory committee 

that replaces two longstanding committees: the Labor 

Research Advisory Committee (LRAC) and the Business 

Research Advisory Committee (BRAC). Both LRAC and 
Monthly Labor Review • June 2009 19

BRAC provided valuable input for nearly 60 years. The 

change in the advisory committee structure was designed 

to take the best aspects of those two groups and combine 

and expand participation to include a wide range of data 

users. DUAC’s mission is as follows:

• To bring together data users from various sectors of 

 the U.S. economy, including the labor, business, re-

 search, academic, and government communities;

• To engage in a dialogue on technical matters related

 to the collection, tabulation, and analysis of BLS sta-

 tistics, on the Agency’s published reports, on its data

 dissemination methods, and on the broader aspects of

the overall BLS mission and function.

Other external inputs that help the BLS improve the accuracy of its statistics include formal and informal conversations with a wide variety of stakeholders. Many BLS 

programs that are administered in cooperation with the 

States have policy and advisory groups that provide a forum for State input into program operations and development. Field economists who collect data from employers 

often report on changes in economic conditions or new 

employer practices that might be ripe for future survey 

collection or tabulation. Individual programs participate 

in conferences and trade shows to encourage respondent 

participation in BLS surveys and to publicize BLS data. 

Through these interactions with stakeholders, the BLS

gains valuable insight into the labor force and identifies 

potential improvements in survey programs.

Following delays in the implementation of a largescale revision in the PPI, the BLS established several 

internal review processes. Programs identify “missioncritical projects” that are monitored more carefully by 

experts throughout the Agency. As a requirement of 

monitoring, large and highly visible projects must include detailed plans and written cross-organizational 

implementation strategies. These activities follow strict 

project management procedures to help ensure their success. In recent years, the BLS has developed several new 

measures under strict project management guidelines. 

Among these measures are employment cost indexes for 

14 large metropolitan areas and rates of workplace injury 

and illness by occupation and demographic characteristics. The BLS continues to identify a half dozen or more 

mission-critical projects each year and has expanded its 

project management skills to help ensure the success of 

these projects.

More broadly, the BLS has implemented a rotating series 

of reviews of each of its statistical programs in order to provide multidisciplinary input to managers on program objectives and processes. These reviews focus on a number of 

aspects of a statistical program: what is being measured and 

what should be measured, proper planning, program operations, the use of information technology, program outputs 

and outreach efforts, and financial management. Although 

such reviews, which are being expanded to include input 

from external stakeholders, may not identify a large-scale 

problem that was unknown to program management, they 

have helped programs to develop long-run strategic plans 

that identify multiple improvements to be tackled over 

time. The inclusion of experts from various BLS programs 

and offices on the review teams helps to break down barriers and share best practices across the Agency.

Two aspects of the development of accurate estimates 

from statistical samples that are a constant challenge for 

the BLS (and, indeed, for any statistical organization) are 

variance and bias. Variance is a measure of the variability 

in estimates that can be attributed to random variability 

of the sampling and measurement process. Typically, the 

closer the sample size is to the size of the population, the 

lower is the variance. The BLS works to reduce variance 

by refining the sources of its samples, adjusting sampling 

sizes, and improving the allocation of the sample across 

certain variables, such as industry or geography. In recent 

years, these types of changes have resulted in lower variance estimates in a number of surveys.

Bias arises when the sample is not representative of the 

population being studied or when the data collection process results in systematic distortions. For example, if a large 

proportion of incomplete data in a particular survey came 

from one industry, the results of the survey might have 

a particular bias related to that industry. Similarly, if the 

misunderstanding of certain questions will lead to underreporting or overreporting of some expenditure, then the 

overall estimated mean expenditure may be biased. Improvements in sampling and estimation techniques, as well 

as in the data collection process, can help to reduce bias.

Over the past quarter century, BLS activities related to 

the measurement of variance and bias have included the 

following:

• Adding a measurement of statistical bias, as was done

in the International Price Program;

• Increasing the quantity of published variance data,

such as data on employee benefits;

• Conducting an analysis of nonresponse bias for the

 CES program;

• Implementing formal quality assurance processes,

such as that for the Survey of Occupational Injuries
Bureau of Labor Statistics at 125

20 Monthly Labor Review • June 2009

 and Illnesses;

• Standardizing collection processes and procedures, as

was done in the Mass Layoff Statistics and Occupa-

 tional Employment Statistics programs;

• Improving nonresponse follow-up procedures, such 

 as call scheduling in the American Time Use Survey;

• Improving the design and wording of forms, as was

 done for the CES; and

• Computerizing the survey collection instrument, as

 was done for the CPS.

The rapid pace of technology change has allowed the BLS

to implement numerous improvements in survey collection, processing, and dissemination techniques, among 

other things, but technological improvements have had 

some negative effects as well. Twice in the late 1990s, the 

BLS released key economic data on its Internet site ahead 

of the designated release time. These errors led to the 

implementation of strict human and technological procedures to guard against early release, including processes 

that involve the use of the Navy’s atomic clock to ensure 

accurate release times.

Improved collection and processing techniques (such as 

Internet collection and high-speed data processing) have 

resulted in more timely releases of data. In addition, the 

greatly expanded use of technology in data dissemination 

has helped transmit data to users more quickly. These improvements are most noticeable in the rapid adoption of 

the Internet for data dissemination. In January 1994, the 

BLS went live with an Internet presence—one of the first 

Federal Agencies to take advantage of this medium. Since 

that time, the Web has become the Agency’s primary and 

most heavily used data dissemination mechanism. (See 

box, pages 21–22.)

The BLS gathers customer feedback on its Web products and uses that feedback to improve public access to 

data. Such feedback was key to major Web site redesigns 

that occurred in 2001 and again in 2008, including multiple iterations of empirical usability testing involving representative end users (researchers, journalists, librarians, 

students, economic analysts, and others). In the process, 

the BLS incorporated lessons learned from ongoing site 

operation. The Agency’s current Web site highlights new 

content every business day and provides expanded search 

and query capabilities. Future plans include developing 

interactive graphics, including charts, maps, and other 

data visualizations, to make it easier to understand large 

data sets. Also under investigation are improved site and 

database search tools, more cross-program data compilations, expanded subscription capabilities, and improved 

educational materials.

Insistence on transparency and candor

A BLS tradition that dates to the first annual report of 

Commissioner Caroll Wright in March 1886 is the inclusion of information about the methods employed in the 

development, collection, and tabulation of data.27 Today, 

information on definitions, methodology, and limitations 

of the data can be found in tables and charts, as well as in 

technical notes that accompany most releases of data. The 

reason for such transparency is to make readers aware of 

the known limitations of the data, to guide them in the appropriate use of the information, and to assure them that 

proper statistical standards and techniques have been used. 

A comprehensive compilation of this technical material is 

available in the BLS Handbook of Methods. The Handbook, 

with chapters on each of the BLS programs, was published 

as a bound volume up until the end of the last century; it 

is now available online. One advantage of developing an 

online version of the Handbook is to allow more frequent 

updating. At present, each chapter is updated whenever 

methodologies change.28

Among the types of information available to data users in the Handbook and elsewhere are response rates and 

variance estimates for survey data. Most BLS survey data 

are collected from employers, and most responses to requests for such data are voluntary. Although the response 

rate is often quite good, nonresponse can result in a decline in the quality of the data. The BLS publishes detailed 

statistics on response rates for its surveys. For example, the 

following tabulation indicates that the 2008 CPI included 

data from 84.5 percent of all items for which prices were 

sought, ranging from 53.6 percent of apparel prices to 

more than 91 percent of prices for food and beverages and 

for other goods and services:29 

CPI component Response rate

Total ........................................................... 84.5

Food and beverages......... ................................ 91.4

Housing........................................................... 89.9

Apparel............................................................ 53.6

Transportation................................................. 90.5

Medical care.................................................... 75.9

Recreation........................................................ 84.5

Education and communication. ...................... 82.8

Other goods and services................................. 91.7

Beyond the regular publication of information on 

methodology, BLS statistical programs are often the subject of external reviews, some initiated by the Agency it-
Monthly Labor Review • June 2009 21

The Internet has been the focus of much of the change 

that has occurred at the BLS in the last quarter century—and 

specifically, since the first BLS Internet site was launched in 

1995. This initial foray onto the Web was inwardly focused, 

as pages were organized on the Internet in much the same 

way that BLS offices were organized. The first BLS Internet 

homepage was a grid of nine boxes (see photo below), and 

as users navigated beyond those boxes, they found the formal 

name of the Office that developed certain statistics. Users who 

were looking for data on workplace fatalities had to know that 

such data were produced in the Office of Compensation and 

Working Conditions. Select that box, and you might find the 

data you want; select another box, and you were lost.

As the data available on the BLS Web site accumulated, 

so did the Agency’s interest in providing a better interface to 

help serve customers. That interface, which debuted in October 2001, attempted to organize data by topic, rather than 

by office. (See photo, next column.) As the Internet evolved, 

the new design presented some challenges for users. First, 

the theory behind the design was to provide users with a link 

from the homepage to anything they might want, so the page 

contained more than 100 links and could be overwhelming to 

the uninitiated. Second, the titles of the links often related to 

internal BLS program names or used other jargon, so getting 

where the user wanted to go still was nonintuitive.

But in some sense, problems with the interface no longer 

mattered, because users were not getting to BLS data by visiting 

www.bls.gov. Rather, the advent of the Internet search engine 

meant that users were searching for their topic of interest; with 

luck, the search results provided a link to the appropriate BLS

Internet page. For example, if you were to enter “workplace fatality statistics” into Google, the BLS homepage would appear 

as the third choice, although the first two choices would take 

you to the same BLS statistics on the Occupational Safety and 

Health Administration Web site.

The BLS changed its Internet homepage again in 2008, this 

time reducing the number of links on the page, adding fresh 

content up front each business day, and identifying resources 

that users might need. (See photo, next page.) The goal of the 

homepage has changed from providing a link to everything 

available from the Agency to providing highlights of the latest data available. The goal of the new homepage is to get 

users accustomed to coming back to it again and again for 

BLS information, rather than coming upon such information 

through a search engine or from a secondary source.

As the BLS Internet site has evolved, Web activity has expanded greatly. In 1995, the first year of its operation, the BLS 

Web site averaged 70,000 hits per month; in June 2008, the 

figure was 30 million hits. The pattern of use varies throughout the year and has remained consistent for many years. The 

heaviest usage is generally in the fall and spring, corresponding with the academic year. Usage typically declines during 

the summer. In addition, spikes in usage often coincide with 

the release of new data, such as the release of employment 

projection data every other November.

Finally, the BLS has begun to add material on its Internet 

Development of the BLS Internet

1995

2001
Bureau of Labor Statistics at 125

22 Monthly Labor Review • June 2009

self, others initiated externally. Over the past quarter century, standards for the operation of statistical surveys have 

evolved, and in 2006 the Federal Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) updated and compiled those standards 

into a single volume.30 Topics included in the standards 

are as follows:

• Development of concepts, methods, and design

• Collection of data

• Processing and editing of data

• Production of estimates and projections

• Data analysis

• Review procedures

• Dissemination of information products

Reviews of the survey process are a regular part of the 

business of producing government statistics. The OMB reviews all requests to collect statistical data; approval for 

such collection must be obtained periodically, at which 

time the OMB reviews each program for compliance with 

standards, as well as for relevance and potential duplication with other Federal data collection efforts. Certain 

major statistical programs receive an additional periodic 

review from the OMB to ensure sound statistical practices. 

Reviews also are performed from time to time by the 

Government Accountability Office and the Department 

of Labor’s Office of Inspector General; not infrequently, 

these topic-based reviews result in recommendations to 

improve survey processes.

Although many reviews of BLS programs result in recommendations for improvement, some reviews conducted 

by the aforementioned organizations and others receive 

considerable public attention or recommend sweeping 

changes. A few examples from the past quarter century 

illustrate the breadth of these inquiries and the effect they 

can have on the data being produced.

In one example, as a result of the Occupational Safety 

and Health Act of 1970 the BLS developed an ongoing 

program to capture and report data on workplace injuries, 

illnesses, and fatalities. This data collection effort concentrated on broad estimates of the number and rate of 

workplace injuries, but included little detailed information (such as the occupation or demographics of injured 

workers or details of the injury). Further, a sample survey 

was used to capture information on workplace fatalities, 

an effort that proved inadequate for the collection of rare 

site that focuses on broad economic themes, moving away 

from the program focus that has dominated the site since its 

inception. The new Web site includes spotlights on timely 

topics, such as older workers and African-American History 

Month, with data from a number of BLS programs. Special 

pages also are available that demonstrate how the BLS can 

serve various constituents, such as jobseekers, investors, policymakers, journalists, and students. With fresh content now 

available on the homepage each business day, and with new 

features such as audio, video, so-called really simple syndication (RSS) Web feed format, and podcasts, more than ever do 

users have a single portal for labor statistics.

Continued—Development of the BLS Internet

2008
Monthly Labor Review • June 2009 2

events. Criticism of the BLS occupational safety and health 

statistics in the mid-1980s led the Agency to request the 

National Academy of Sciences to convene an expert panel 

to review data on workplace safety and health. The panel’s 

exhaustive study resulted in recommendations for major 

changes to the program, including the collection of data on 

the characteristics of injured workers and on the circumstances surrounding their injuries, as well as the introduction of a census format to capture all fatal work injuries. 

The BLS implemented these changes in the early 1990s.31

In another, perhaps more well known example, the work 

of the U.S. Advisory Commission to Study the Consumer 

Price Index (known more commonly as the Boskin Commission), which took place in the mid-1990s, confirmed 

internal BLS research that had identified issues with the 

index that were thought to result in overestimates of price 

increases, which in turn led to increases in the cost of Social Security, among other things. The BLS responded to 

these issues not only by introducing a number of changes 

to the CPI over the last decade, but also by publishing a 

number of reports on progress toward the implementation and on the effect of the changes.32

Even without the impetus of outside reviews, the 

BLS strives to address questions and concerns about 

its statistics and implement changes where warranted. 

A few current examples demonstrate how the BLS has 

acknowledged criticisms of its data and provided clarification. In the area of employment statistics, data users 

have expressed concerns about differences between two 

surveys that provide similar information. The CES survey 

is a survey of employers that reports on the number of 

employees on the employers’ payrolls each month. The 

CPS is a survey of households that reports on the number of individuals holding jobs, as well as the number 

and rate of unemployed persons. The employment levels 

reported by the CES and the CPS can differ, as can the 

direction and magnitude of the change in employment 

from month to month. The simple reason for such apparent discrepancies is that the surveys are measuring two 

different things: jobs and workers, respectively. Differences between the two kinds of estimate can result from 

individuals holding multiple jobs or from differences in 

the scope of the workers covered. The BLS provides considerable information to help data users understand this 

issue. For example, each monthly employment release 

includes a selection of frequently asked questions, the 

first of which relates to the different estimates provided 

by the two programs.33

In another example, with increased attention to the 

monthly payroll employment data from the CES program, 

the methodology used to account for newly formed businesses, known as the “birth-death model,” has generated 

interest among data users. Again, the BLS has taken actions to help users understand the issue, providing considerable detail about the model on its Internet site and 

in publications.34 

Finally, the BLS recently published two articles designed 

to assist data users in understanding controversies that had 

arisen concerning certain BLS statistics. Such proactive acknowledgement of external criticisms is not new, but in a 

world of fast-paced information, the BLS is still learning 

how to address criticisms in a timely manner. A Monthly 

Labor Review article designed to identify and dispel myths 

about the CPI includes the following passage:

Within the past several years, commentary on the 

CPI...has not been concentrated in a single profession, academic discipline, or political group, but 

comes instead from an array of investment advisers, 

bloggers, magazine writers, and others in the popular press....This article is an attempt to correct some 

of the misunderstandings underlying those criticisms.35

In the same issue of the Review, an article addressing allegations that the BLS undercounts workplace injuries and 

illnesses includes the following rejoinder:

The BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII or Survey) has come under criticism for 

undercounting the number of injury and illness incidents in the workplace....This article summarizes 

and critiques some of these studies and describes

BLS efforts to better understand and address the 

undercount issue.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics...has instituted a 

number of activities to understand and, where possible, address the issue. First, in 2007 BLS conducted 

a quality assurance survey....Second, BLS is extending the scope of SOII to include all public-sector 

workers....Third, BLS has instituted a program of 

research....Fourth, BLS is undertaking focused interviews of employers to learn about decisions made 

to report injuries and illnesses on OSHA logs and to 

other data systems. Finally, BLS is exploring partnerships with other organizations, including the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 

to research the use of alternative data sources to 

complement the data available from SOII.

36
Bureau of Labor Statistics at 125

24 Monthly Labor Review • Jun  20

The BLS is no stranger to controversy, and such criticisms are not unique to the last quarter century. Earlier 

controversies were similar in nature, expressing concerns 

about the accuracy of, and political influence on, statistics. 

What is different today is the rapid pace of news and the 

widespread nature of public commentary, often on the 

Internet. The BLS will continue to address these issues as 

they arise.

Looking forward

Since its centennial, the BLS has witnessed rapid growth in 

technology, a movement toward instantaneous news, the 

advent of online pundits with quick access to data, and a 

constantly changing economy that can be difficult to measure. Much of what the Agency measured as standard work 

characteristics a quarter century ago is no longer standard, 

with such new phenomena as teleworking, medical savings accounts, employee leasing arrangements, green jobs, 

offshoring, and a host of others challenging the traditional 

means of measuring labor. The BLS has moved at different 

speeds to incorporate these phenomena into its programs 

and continues to develop new means of keeping abreast 

of changes in the labor environment and adapting its programs to those changes. The continued focus on its core 

principles—objectivity, confidentiality, relevance, accuracy, 

and transparency—and on its commitment to developing a 

staff grounded in a core set of disciplines, namely, economics, statistics, information technology, and behavioral science, has allowed the BLS to fulfill its mission to date. This 

focus will serve the Agency well as the characteristics of 

work continue to evolve in the 21st century. 

NOTES

1 Janet L. Norwood, “Centennial,” Monthly Labor Review, January 1984, 

pp. 1–2.

2

 Joseph P. Goldberg and William T. Moye, The First Hundred Years of the 

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bulletin 2235 (U.S. Department of Labor, September 

1985).

3 Quoted from the BLS Mission Statement, on the Internet at www.bls.

gov/bls/blsmissn.htm (visited June 17, 2009).

4 Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research 

organization dedicated to promoting a greater understanding of how the economy works. For more information, visit the NBER Internet site at www.nber.org 

(visited June 17, 2009).

5 See “Union Membership in 2008,” news release 09–0095 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Jan. 28, 2009). For a further discussion of the problem of differentiating between the influence of unionization status and that of other worker 

characteristics on employee earnings, see Kay E. Anderson, Philip M. Doyle, 

and Albert E. Schwenk, “Measuring union-nonunion earnings differences,” 

Monthly Labor Review, June 1990, pp. 26–38.

6 See Highlights of Women’s Earnings in 2007, Report 1008 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, October 2008), p. 1.

7 Goldberg and Moye, The First Hundred Years, p. 12.

 8 The only BLS data that Federal law (the Occupational Safety and Health 

Act of 1970) requires employers to provide are occupational safety and health 

statistics. Certain States require employers to provide some other BLS data. 

9 For more information, see the Confidential Information Protection and 

Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002, Title V of Public Law 107–347.

10 More information on Workforce Information Councils may be found on 

the Internet at www.workforceinfocouncil.org (visited June 17, 2009).

11 Some material from this section is based on information found in the

BLS Handbook of Methods, on the Internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/home.

htm (visited June 17, 2009).

12 Goldberg and Moye, The First Hundred Years, p. 4.

13 Ibid., p. 21.

14 NAICS has been updated twice since it was first released; the most recent 

version dates from 2007. For more information, see “North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) at BLS” (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 13, 

2009), on the Internet at www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm (visited June 17, 2009).

15 The CPS, a monthly survey of households conducted by the U.S. Census 

Bureau for the BLS, provides a comprehensive body of data on the labor force, 

employment, unemployment, and persons not in the labor force.

16 BLS Handbook of Methods, chapter 1, on the Internet at www.bls.gov/

opub/hom/homch1_a.htm (visited June 17, 2009).

17 For more information on the variety of measures of unemployment, see 

John E. Bregger and Steven E. Haugen, “BLS introduces new range of alternative 

unemployment measures,” Monthly Labor Review, October 1995, pp. 19–26.

18 For more information on new measures of labor dynamics, see Zhi Boon, 

Charles M. Carson, R. Jason Faberman, and Randy E. Ilg, “Studying the labor 

market using BLS labor dynamics data,” Monthly Labor Review, February 2008, 

pp. 3–16.

19 Data are from the BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation 

series for private industry, March 1986 and December 2008. More information 

may be found on the Internet at www.bls.gov/ncs/ect (visited June 17, 2009).

20 For more information on changes in retirement plans in recent years, see 

Stephanie L. Costo, “Trends in retirement plan coverage over the last decade,” 

Monthly Labor Review, February 2006, pp. 58–64.

21 Examples of Federal legislation related to employer health benefits 

include the Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973 and the Mental 

Health Parity Act of 1996.

22 Definitions of the various types of health insurance plans are found in 

National Compensation Survey: Employee Benefits in Private Industry in the United States, 2005, Bulletin 2589 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2007).
Monthly Labor Review • June 2009 25

23 Further information on the recent history of the BLS Office of Productivity and Technology’s productivity program appears in Edwin R. Dean and 

Michael J. Harper, “The BLS Productivity Measurement Program,” in Charles R. 

Hulten, Edwin R. Dean, and Michael J. Harper, New Developments in Productivity Analysis (Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2001), pp. 55–84.

24 For a historical review of the international comparisons program, see Patricia Capdevielle and Mark K. Sherwood, “International comparisons: providing comparable international labor statistics,” Monthly Labor Review, June 2002, 

pp. 3–14; for information on China, see Erin Lett and Judith Banister, “China’s 

manufacturing employment and compensation costs,” Monthly Labor Review, 

April 2009, pp. 30–38. An article on India is forthcoming in the Review.

25 Complete data on work-related fatalities from the terrorist attacks are 

available in Fatal Workplace Injuries in 2001: A Collection of Data and Analysis, 

Report 970 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, September 2003).

26 These statistics were released in the BLS Commissioner’s statement that 

appeared concurrently with the October 2005 “Employment Situation” release. 

For more information on the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the Current Employment Statistics program, see “BLS Information: Effects of Hurricane Katrina 

on BLS Employment and Unemployment Data Collection and Estimation” (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2, 2006), on the Internet at www.bls.gov/katrina/

cpscesquestions.htm (visited June 17, 2009). The Commissioner’s statement 

appears on the Internet at www.bls.gov/news.release/history/jec_10072005.

txt (visited June 17, 2009).

27 Goldberg and Moye, The First Hundred Years. 

28 Some material from this section is based on information found in the 

Handbook; see note 11 for the Web address of the publication.

29 Information on response to requests for data on the Consumer Price 

Index is available on the BLS Internet site at www.bls.gov/cpi/cpirr2008.pdf 

(visited June 17, 2009).

30 For more information on standards and guidelines for statistical surveys, 

see “Statistical Programs and Standards” (Office of Management and Budget, 

various dates), on the Internet at www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/statpolicy.

html (visited June 17, 2009).

31 See Earl S. Pollack and Deborah Kellerman Keimig, Counting Injuries 

and Illnesses in the Workplace: Proposals for a Better System (Washington, DC, National Academy Press, 1987).

32 For information on the Boskin report and follow-up activities from the 

BLS, see David S. Johnson, Stephen B. Reed, and Kenneth J. Stewart, “Price 

measurement in the United States: a decade after the Boskin Report,” Monthly 

Labor Review, May 2006, pp. 10–19.

33 See “Frequently Asked Questions about Employment and Unemployment Estimates” in the monthly Employment Situation news release, on the Internet at www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.toc.htm (visited June 17, 2009).

34 For more information on the CES birth-death model, see “Monthly Employment Situation Report: Quick Guide to Methods and Measurement Issues” 

(Bureau of Labor Statistics, Aug. 8, 2008), on the Internet at www.bls.gov/bls/

empsitquickguide.htm (visited June 17, 2009).

35 John S. Greenlees and Robert B. McClelland, “Addressing misconceptions about the Consumer Price Index,” Monthly Labor Review, August 2008, 

pp. 3–19.

36 John W. Ruser, “Examining evidence on whether BLS undercounts workplace injuries and illnesses,” Monthly Labor Review, August 2008, pp. 20–32.