The U.S. Labor Department announced Wednesday that it will not release a full jobs report for October due to the 43-day federal government shutdown, which prevented the calculation of the unemployment rate and other key statistics.
Instead, some October data—most notably, the number of jobs created by employers—will be included with the November jobs report. This combined report is now scheduled for release on December 16, several weeks later than usual.
Typically, the department’s “employment situation” report is published on the first Friday of each month. However, disruptions from the shutdown delayed both data collection and publication schedules. For example, September’s jobs report, originally set for October 3, will now be released Thursday.
The monthly employment report draws from two main sources: a household survey used to determine unemployment rates and an establishment survey of businesses and organizations tracking job creation and wages. The department said it could not conduct October’s household survey because of the shutdown and cannot do so retroactively. However, employer hiring numbers were collected and will be reported alongside November figures.
As a result of these delays, economists expect heightened attention on Thursday’s September numbers—the last complete set available before Federal Reserve policymakers meet December 9-10 to discuss interest rates.
Federal Reserve officials remain divided over whether to cut interest rates again next month. Some say fresh economic data showing labor market weakness could sway more members toward supporting a rate reduction. Others may prefer to wait for further evidence before making changes due to missing information caused by the shutdown.
At its most recent meeting in late October, many Fed officials advised caution because of “reduced availability of key economic data.”
There has been controversy surrounding recent jobs reports. Following disappointing July figures, President Donald Trump dismissed Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner Erika McEntarfer.
Responding to concerns about Wednesday’s announcement, McEntarfer posted on Bluesky: “No conspiracy here, folks. BLS was entirely shutdown for six weeks. Payroll data from firms can be retroactively collected for October. The household survey cannot be conducted retrospectively. This is just a straightforward consequence of having all field staff furloughed for over a month.”
Christopher Rugaber contributed reporting.
