What really goes on at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Update)

The Indicator from Planet Money discusses the importance and potential controversy surrounding jobs growth as an economic indicator. The podcast addresses President Trump's recent statements about the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and accusations of rigged jobs numbers. It revisits a 2022 episode that goes behind the scenes of "Jobs Friday," detailing how the BLS collects data through surveys of households and businesses, focusing on the Establishment Survey, which interviews around 130,000 employers monthly. The episode features Erica Hennion, a BLS agent, who explains the process of calling businesses to gather employment data, the challenges of getting responses, and the importance of these numbers for economic planning and decisions by entities like the Federal Reserve.