The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a unit of the United States Department of Labor, is the principal fact-finding agency for the U.S. government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics. The BLS is a governmental statistical agency that 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 representatives. The BLS also serves as a statistical resource to the Department of Labor.

The BLS data must satisfy a number of criteria, including relevance to current social and economic issues, timeliness in reflecting today’s rapidly changing economic conditions, accuracy and consistently high statistical quality, and impartiality in both subject matter and presentation. To avoid the appearance of partiality, the dates of major data releases are scheduled more than a year in advance, in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget.

Contents 1 History 2 Statistical reporting 2.1 Prices 2.2 Employment and Unemployment 2.3 Compensation and Working Conditions 2.4 Productivity 3 Publications 4 See also 5 References

[edit] History

The Bureau of Labor was established in the Department of the Interior by the Bureau of Labor Act (23 Stat. 60), June 27, 1884, to collect information about employment and labor. It became an independent (sub-Cabinet) department by the Department of Labor Act (25 Stat. 182), June 13, 1888. It was incorporated, as the Bureau of Labor, into the Department of Commerce and Labor by the Department of Commerce Act (32 Stat. 827), February 14, 1903. Finally, it was transferred to the Department of Labor in 1913 where it resides today. The BLS is now headquartered in the Postal Square Building near the United States Capitol and Union Station. The Current Commissioner of the BLS is Keith Hall.

[edit] Statistical reporting

Surveys, Indices, and Statistics produced by the BLS fall into 4 main categories:

[edit] Prices

• U.S. Consumer Price Index
• Producer Price Index
• U.S. Import and Export Price Indices
• Consumer Expenditure Survey

[edit] Employment and Unemployment

• Current Population Survey (The "Household Survey")
  • List of U.S. states by unemployment rate
  • The American Time Use Survey
• Current Employment Statistics (The "Establishment Survey")
  • Payroll Employment
• The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey
• Ten year occupational employment projections
• Occupational Employment Statistics
• Mass Layoff Survey

[edit] Compensation and Working Conditions

• National Compensation Survey
  • Employment Cost Index
• Workplace Injury and Fatality Statistics

[edit] Productivity

• Productivity

[edit] Publications

BLS publications include:

• Occupational Outlook Handbook
• Monthly Labor Review
• Compensation and Working Conditions
• Occupational Outlook Quarterly
• Career Guide to Industries
• Many Economic News Releases
• Issues in Labor Statistics

[edit] See also

• National Income and Product Accounts
• Economic reports
• Index of Leading Indicators
• U.S. Census Bureau
• Bureau of Economic Analysis

[edit] References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics webpage
• Labor Statistics Bureau Meeting Notices and Rule Changes from The Federal Register RSS Feed
• BLS Senior management

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