The Bureau of Labor Statistics overestimated the number of jobs added in the U.S. economy by 911,000 in the 12-month period ending in March 2025, according to updated figures released by the agency.
The BLS periodically revises employment data after conducting various censuses of employers.
The update comes a month after President Donald Trump fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, following a sour employment report. President Trump has repeatedly criticized the agency’s data collection methods.
The BLS issues a preliminary employment report each month, just days after the month ends, based on its Current Employment Statistics survey of employers. The survey provides early estimates but is subject to later adjustments.
Those adjustments come through the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, which is considered more accurate because it uses state unemployment insurance tax records — filings that nearly all employers are required to submit to state workforce agencies.
One factor in the downward revision, the BLS said, was that businesses reported fewer employees to the quarterly census than they had in the preliminary CES survey. Businesses that participated in the CES survey but did not respond for the latest count also reported lower employment levels in the quarterly census than firms that responded fully.
The new data also comes as President Trump has urged the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. The Fed has kept rates steady, citing strong hiring early in the year and elevated inflation. However, the slowdown in hiring could push policymakers toward rate cuts — even as inflation has risen again in recent months.
