Name: Why Trump Doesn't Trust Jobs Revisions, But Economists Do
Uploaded: 2025-08-06T17:41:00Z
Duration: 4 min 50 s
Description: President Trump fired the head of the BLS, claiming manipulated jobs numbers after a report of slowed hiring. While revisions were more dramatic than usual, these numbers are always revised. WSJ explains.

https://www.barrons.com/client

Topics

Memberships

Tools

Customer Service

Network

Newsstand

For Business

For Education

For Advertisers

Account

About Barron's

bolded

unBolded

Ken Burns, the filmmaker behind the documentary miniseries "The American Revolution" and others, spoke to Barron's editor at large Andy Serwer.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260507/0291a39f-ea0f-4e3b-8f5f-c6783863e213/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Filmmaker Ken Burns on 'the Most Important Revolution in History'

Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup, discusses how they scale their business, their global footprint, and investing in digital assets.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260506/c85686e1-e814-47e7-a3dc-72a0170fa2c9/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Citigroup CEO on Keeping Competitors at Bay

As CEO of Citigroup, Jane Fraser tells Barron’s Andy Serwer about her goals for the future.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260506/904afc41-63ad-4d30-94d5-fe292999af50/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Planning for Growth at Citigroup

Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup, sat down for an interview with Barron's Editor at Large Andy Serwer.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260430/9cbc994b-3c3c-4ab2-994c-1363ccf00ade/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Citigroup CEO: 'We're Cheap. Get on the Train.'

Michel Khalaf, chief executive officer of MetLife, discusses how he’s navigating the current market.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260501/91689664-d41c-4215-8400-ea340e71cf8d/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Risk Management in a K-Shaped Economy

“I’m a big believer in a level playing field,” Michel Khalaf, chief executive officer of MetLife, tells Barron’s Andy Serwer.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260501/0a4674b6-10e7-4a91-bd96-c6a2e6aa7fe2/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Why MetLife’s CEO Supports Private Equity in Insurance

Michel Khalaf, chief executive officer of MetLife, spoke to Barron's editor at large Andy Serwer.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260423/d5471223-ead4-4616-a52a-63b6722abe1e/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

MetLife's CEO Explains How AI Has Helped the Insurance Company

Constantine Alexandrakis, CEO of the executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates, discusses the pattern of higher turnover rates and shorter tenures of CEOs.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260501/2fec28b4-35fb-4ff1-9864-55d5538b0973/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Being a CEO Is Becoming More Complicated, According to This Executive

At Barron's

"Your 9-5...is just not going to do it," Nick Magguilli, personal finance expert, said on Barron's Streetwise podcast.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20251216/e6897805-d131-4cc4-9c59-ca03b0c0b958/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

How to Scale Your Net Worth

TJ Thornton, Head of Global Research Product Marketing at BofA Securities, talks to Jack Hough about his favorite stocks outside of AI.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20251210/f9c1a95c-5a0e-4349-9fe4-73b3ac53bfb8/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

BofA’s Favorite Non-AI Stocks

Jack Hough talks to TJ Thornton, Head of Global Research Product Marketing at BofA Securities about diversifying stocks to hedge AI risks.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20251210/8e164ff7-1500-4c2f-8713-e891c640a0f4/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Evaluating Investing Opportunities Beyond AI

Steve Quirk, chief brokerage officer at Robinhood, breaks down the value of tokenizing stocks in different markets.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20251126/f86d65ea-bd8b-4777-b6b0-80f7bb12027e/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Unpacking Tokenization for Everyday Investors

Jack Hough talks to Steve Quirk, chief brokerage officer at Robinhood, about trends in retail investing.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20251126/a9cbdcc6-f060-4fc9-a15e-396924e25946/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

How Robinhood Reshaped the Trading Landscape for an Entire Generation

Streetwise host Jack Hough sat down with strategist Scott Wren to discuss how the AI-fueled market run stacks up against the dot-com boom.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20251111/bd2e1a5b-1a6e-4543-8133-dcc63f69b5dc/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

AI vs. The Dot Com Bubble

Bank of America’s Haim Israel shares what’s next for Nuclear Energy development.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20250930/ab4fc336-af44-4af2-8e40-9ae6f04a445e/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

The Outlook For Nuclear

Jack talks to Lyft CEO David Risher about growth potential in the company.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20250929/ae62b70e-912b-4ce7-ae63-1b2652628bae/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Lyft's Ride to Profit

The stock market is expensive. What does that mean for your portfolio? Jack sits down with Franklin Templeton’s Matt Quinlan to talk dividend investing, and whether it’s a good move in a pricey market.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20250911/9c85e132-d710-4458-9467-aa69d4f25ae0/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Dividends and Capital Appreciation

Barron's Streetwise

CEO Chris Todd explains how the company is providing core technology to RIAs and broker dealers while building infrastructure to meet future advisor needs in areas like alternative investments and digital currencies.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260512/06d41382-0347-4765-b253-994badc172a3/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Envestnet’s ‘Bullseye’ Strategic Approach  

Interviews with top wealth management professionals about topics including compensation, hiring, marketing, next-gen, and more.

CEO Chris Todd says the company is using AI to increase internal productivity and leveraging its large data set to provide "investment data insights" to help advisors manage client portfolios.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260512/4207fb3b-4df7-43b2-8c1e-32d3cb75967f/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

How Envestnet Is Harnessing AI and Data 

Yie-Hsin Hung, president and CEO of State Street Investment Management, describes how the company addresses retirement challenges like increased longevity and the shift of responsibility from pensions to individuals.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260428/266b9598-bb99-4025-9b2e-d17b76104723/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Empowering Investors to Better Prepare for Retirement

Yie-Hsin Hung, president and CEO of State Street Investment Management, says that retirement is a vital business segment, accounting for about a quarter of the company’s global assets.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260428/ea1e71f0-04bc-4b92-9b82-e52911542bd5/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Retirement Is a ‘Very Important Part’ of State Street’s Business

ETF flows reveal a “widening out” of exposure away from large caps, says Yie-Hsin Hung, president and CEO of State Street Investment Management.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260428/735ae074-7b28-4394-879a-5959b7675c9e/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

U.S. Investors Are Embracing Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Stocks

Yie-Hsin Hung, president and CEO, says the company is focused on growth in fixed income products, international markets, and the overall wealth category.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260428/718c379d-03d5-4861-be33-fa3c4f56cef7/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Where State Street Investment Management Sees Opportunity

Within five years, “the consumer will have the ability to go online and design their financial advisor—what they look like, how they talk, how they interact, what they remember,” says Rob Nelson, CEO and founder of NorthRock Partners.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260415/09483094-28db-4623-a9b2-df5b9327dffa/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

The Future AI Advisor

Rob Nelson, CEO and founder of NorthRock Partners, explains why he is optimistic about the future of financial advice and the potential for advisors to form meaningful client communities.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260415/4bc66985-8aab-4e8a-b646-8e3023cdd9b0/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

The Jevons Paradox and Placing a Premium on Community

Rob Nelson, CEO and founder of NorthRock Partners, says clients today place a premium on having free time and peace of mind.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260415/528964a5-1d56-41bf-9931-bf152533679b/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

How Client Expectations Have Changed in the Past 15 Years

Barron's Advisor The Way Forward

A “willingness to roll up your sleeves and understand the issues that your clients are facing, not just from an investment perspective,” is common among the industry’s most successful, says Kelly Gaur, a Mercer Advisors regional vice president.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260319/318adb2f-a888-4f30-b182-c791e27f98ab/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Best Advice for Someone Considering Wealth Management as a Career

Kelly Gaur, a Mercer Advisors regional vice president, says she was drawn to working for a registered investment advisor partly because they generally offer a more personalized, modern approach to wealth management.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260318/5575e9ca-0b48-4fb9-8e43-82aae1b3e3fc/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

The Appeal of Working for an RIA

“The best client development professionals are those who have served clients in some capacity,” says Kelly Gaur, a Mercer Advisors regional vice president.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260318/c1638929-6b21-4573-9deb-4f78e1ffa1d7/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Client-Facing Experience Can Help Advance Your Career

The Mercer Advisors regional vice president discusses her business development role and tips for breaking into the industry and gaining valuable experience in a non-advisory capacity.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260318/f2c2c9a5-cb67-4167-a48b-7fe4a9285615/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Kelly Gaur: Tips for Pursuing Non-Advisor Roles in Wealth Management

“You want to make sure that everybody's excited and prepared and that you're all pulling the rope in the same direction,” says Nate Fisher, managing director and wealth advisor at Carson Wealth.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260305/20285ef5-c115-435f-9291-e4f2d5b166a9/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

A Successful Transition Requires Honesty and a ‘Heavy Lift’

Young advisors considering a succession plan should maximize engagement with clients because “it can take a long time to gain that trust and build those relationships,” says Nate Fisher, managing director and wealth advisor at Carson Wealth.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260305/236fdaa2-5acb-48e9-b16d-e20b58846487/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Succession Planning and Establishing Trust With Clients

The Carson Wealth managing director and wealth advisor says his decision to partner with the firm was driven by the need for increased capacity for holistic services and a clear succession plan for his retiring father.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260305/33bb1217-c8be-4358-ba17-6238cbab6fa1/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Nate Fisher: Lessons Learned From a Successful Partnership

As trust grows, advisors tend to spend less time discussing investments and more time on clients’ families and well-being, says Nate Fisher, managing director and wealth advisor at Carson Wealth.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260305/d2d3903a-994f-4ae7-82be-706929930b3d/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Trusted Advisors Focus Less on Investments, More on Clients' Lives 

Serving tech founders is a full-time, long-term effort that often requires significant upfront work before a successful, revenue-generating relationship is established, says Katie Partridge, a Morgan Stanley private wealth advisor.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260219/abc63bad-4c7a-474b-b4a8-b4feae461375/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Landing Founders as Clients Requires Patience and Hard Work

Barron's Advisor Next Generation

Government policy shapes retirement regardless of savings or lifespan. With Social Security's trust fund facing a 2033 shortfall, what fixes are coming? Our experts discuss policy shifts and how to budget your benefits.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260410/aea80278-298b-458e-8bcd-f378796d6328/2/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

What's Next for Social Security?

Stocks swoop and soar as investors weigh AI hype against rate-cut "tea leaves." Our panelists explain how to drown out the noise, chart your own winning path,and identify investments that offer true long-term rewards.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260410/586aecf7-117b-4f3e-86f0-6869d907e671/2/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Riding the Market Roller Coaster

The capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro and Middle East tensions are reshaping oil supply expectations. The U.S. is intervening in energy markets in decades-unseen ways. Experts break down what’s next for oil, gas and energy stocks.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260212/9779ec13-602a-4a38-bb73-495ff464a24f/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Oil and Gas in a Volatile World

For the first time in decades, U.S. power demand is rising - driven by AI data centers, EVs and electrification. Utility and clean-energy stocks are climbing, but costly buildouts threaten affordability. We explore what’s next for the power trade.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20260212/81a81fdd-47b4-44f6-93d1-7597a7fab032/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

The Gold Rush in Electricity

Will Nvidia and other technology companies keep powering the stock market in 2026? We'll speak with two veteran money managers about their views on tech and their favorite stocks for the coming year.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20251212/5683d7a0-ed1f-4e3c-b913-bb3367ea3abd/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Finding Bargains in a Pricey Market

Explore what could go right for investors, and what could go wrong, in a year that will see the AI trade evolve, the Fed's leadership change, and global competition for resources increase in this 2026 Outlook.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20251212/573f5954-c4ab-43e9-804d-f1ea93fbb70c/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Meeting the Challenge

Stocks are expensive, risks abound, and AI is about to change the world. Other than that, building a calamity-proof retirement portfolio should be a cinch. Tune in as two veteran money managers size up the markets and share their investment ideas.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20250211/17a5e7d6-7c36-44b0-a35e-bf5ac3a24194/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Saving for a Sunny Day

Research shows that people greatly underestimate the healthcare costs they’ll face in retirement. Learn from experts how to estimate those costs, prepare for potential long-term care needs, and manage healthcare expenses in retirement.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20250211/e7c022d9-badf-4e95-8e7c-0b6fce9f7823/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Are You Fiscally Fit?

Surging power demand, new energy sources, and growing competition have spurred the utility industry to become more innovative than ever before. Our panelists will unpack the changes afoot and explore what lies ahead for companies, customers, and investors.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20240917/001ea098-1fcc-4da5-9f0e-a3b149bbb2fb/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Not Your Father's Utility

Barron's Roundtable

Whether you're leading a transition, building a scalable team, or just trying to stay ahead of the curve, this episode will give you practical insights to lead smarter and grow stronger.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20251010/fd26d60b-d1e6-409b-b51b-101da4aaa368/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Next-Gen Leadership Meets Smart Innovation

Electric vehicles sales are growing but not at the pace some expected. Some would-be buyers worry about the range of EV charging, and others are swayed by politics. But innovators from Detroit to Silicon Valley still envision a dramatic shift in how we get around. What’s going on and what’s next?

https://m.wsj.net/video/20240603/5784fa60-791c-47ad-9740-42e4553de5c4/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Forces Shaping EV Adoption and the Future of Driving

Success in improving the power grid to accommodate the electricity demands of the future will be a boon for companies doing the work and utilities that succeed. Explore the investing risks and opportunities.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20240522/2b825c69-2687-4d88-923b-0c8f523a2f67/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

How to Invest in Initiatives to Bolster the Power Grid

Joanna Rotenberg, Fidelity's president of personal investing, discusses ways to make investing more accessible and how to bolster your own financial security.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20231025/8ad733df-ac90-41fd-9655-7761b3e0532c/2/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Mind the Gap: Demystifying Investing

Reshma Kapadia sits down with Cozy Wittman of College Inside Track to discuss how to tackle all things college, from what admission officers are seeking today, to navigating the different ways to funding higher education and evaluating the ROIs.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20230515/b7229011-05cc-42ec-9c16-1d7752ec668d/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Decoding the College Search and Financing Puzzle

Nicole Webb, financial advisor and SVP at Wealth Enhancement Group, shares ways to navigate the real estate market this spring whether you are a first-time buyer, a retiree downsizing or someone who is relocating or looking for a second home.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20230424/93eb00e1-caf0-4e83-9fc7-b502a57dc546/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Pro Tips on Buying and Selling a Home

Reggie Fils-Aimé, former president and COO of Nintendo of America, joins Barron's deputy editor Alex Eule to discuss his unlikely rise to the top, and the risks he took once there to beat the odds and achieve success.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20220630/61e2296d-ab1a-4216-ae65-24676447c616/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

How Nintendo's Former President Disrupted the Gaming Industry

2050 Wealth Planners co-CEO Lazetta Rainey Braxton, Sequoia Financial Planners vice president Elizabeth Scheiderer, and MoneyZen founder Manisha Thakor offer tips on how to prepare for recession, inflation, caregiving needs.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20220617/a71025ce-518b-49b9-b098-21417863f8ce/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Financial Advice for the Inflation-Weary

Families and advisors have a lot to navigate when it comes to generational wealth transfer. Add sustainable investing to the list. Examine strategies to help close the generational divide. From the Dow Jones Energy & Sustainability event series.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20230210/85cbf3f9-b5ab-4bfa-93c6-f8e8a247d386/1/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Sustainable Investing and the Wealth Transfer

Barron's Events

Level Up

Barron's Explains

Back to Business

Great Investors

MarketWatch

Video Center - Barron's home

President Trump fired the head of the BLS, claiming manipulated jobs numbers after a report of slowed hiring. While revisions were more dramatic than usual, these numbers are always revised. WSJ explains.

https://m.wsj.net/video/20250806/30ab1904-1775-41b6-ba43-3a193d538685/2/hls/manifest-hd-wifi.m3u8

Why Trump Doesn't Trust Jobs Revisions, But Economists Do

Narrator: These are the number of jobs that were added to the US economy in the last year, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases every month in the jobs report. Or really, these are the initial number of jobs added to the economy. Each report also revises the number of the last three months. These are the latest revisions. Last September was only off by 1,000. Last July was more typical, about 30,000. But the latest revision, May and June were way off. President Trump was not happy, and he fired the BLS commissioner.

The numbers were ridiculous, which he announced.

When they keep being revised all over the place, then there are gonna be people that wonder if there's a partisan pattern in the data.

Narrator: Here's how the BLS collects this data, why the revision was so dramatic, and what this means for the future of BLS data. The jobs report, or really it's called the Employment Situation, is made up of two surveys. The household one, which calculates the unemployment rate, and the establishment survey, which calculates nonfarm payroll employment, aka the number of jobs. While the household survey is asking 60,000 people questions like, "Last week, did you work? And if you didn't, why not?" The establishment survey is a form that is sent to 650,000 workplaces, like state and local governments, manufacturers, retailers, you get it, and they're asked to fill out these forms of how many employees they have, what their payroll was, and what their hours were. Roughly two weeks later, when the first job report comes out, only about 60% of establishments have completed them. There's a number of reasons why. This place could have closed. This place could have an accountant on vacation. But mostly-

This isn't the top priority for companies, right?

The most common answer is that they were too busy.

Narrator: But by three months later, more than 90% of places have responded, which is why the BLS does a revision. So why even release the initial numbers?

There is information in the preliminary release and you don't wanna sit on it. People wanna know right now. The Federal Reserve wants to know right now. But two months later if the data's much better, you don't wanna sit on that either. You wanna tell people a much better guess.

Narrator: When a revision is larger than normal, the BLS doesn't give a lengthy analysis.

It's normal for BLS not to explain those differences, because then they're doing a job outside of the job they're supposed to do, which is to take the data and statistically make modifications to the estimates based on the data.

Narrator: This isn't even the last time these numbers will be revised. They're revised twice a year with unemployment insurance data, and even 10 years later with census data.

There's a sense in which they're never totally final, but they get more and more final over time.

Narrator: But revisions aren't usually this large. So what happened?

The most common reason, in my view, for large revisions is the economy is coming out of a slow time or moving into a slow time. Say it's coming out of a slow time. The second and third months may look even better than the first month because they're submitted later.

Narrator: Same idea going into a slow time. The second and third months may look worse than the first.

The second one is that you have a real difference between the way the world work this year and the way the world worked last year.

Narrator: That's the ongoing theory for August's revisions. Late responses skewed more negative than expected. Employment in schools and the federal government was especially low compared to last year.

There's a suspicion that the schools are not hiring as much now as they did last year because they have run out of COVID-era money.

Narrator: The one thing experts, both inside and outside of the BLS, don't think it is, is politics.

I could not change the numbers. I had no access to the input data, to the programs, to the preliminary results, to any of that, none of that.

The upper bound of my influence was zero. I didn't see the data until Wednesday morning. By that time, there was no way I could have influenced that data.

Narrator: The best way to make revisions less drastic, they argue, is to get this completion rate for the first report higher. While responding to the survey isn't mandatory under federal law, it is mandatory in these states. Incentives for responding and improved delivery systems could also help. But there's a fear that the response rate won't go up if these businesses think their data might be used for politics.

Anything that erodes trust is really bad for the statistical system. But the most important thing is it's bad for the country, because this is infrastructure that supports many of the most important decisions that companies make. So this is a big deal.

President Trump needs to appoint a sterling individual who will come in to restore trust and quality and improve BLS.

Some days the high-speed news cycle can bring more questions than answers. WSJ’s news explainers break down the day's biggest stories into bite-size pieces to help you make sense of the news.