Inside the BLS: William Beach on Trust, Data, and the Future of Federal Statistics

In this episode, I sit down with William Beach, former Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to dig into how America’s most important economic data are produced. We talk about the nuts and bolts of how the BLS jobs numbers are collected, processed, and released, as well as why revisions happen and what they really mean. Bill shares his perspective on the commissioner’s role, the challenges of falling survey response rates, and how statistical agencies can rebuild public trust in their work. We also touch on his experiences working across two administrations and his ideas for the future of federal data. This conversation sheds light on a system that is often misunderstood, yet vital for understanding the economy.

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