Summary
US President Donald Trump has selected EJ Antoni, a conservative economist from the Heritage Foundation, to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This appointment follows Trump's firing of the previous commissioner, Erika McEntarfer, after the release of lower-than-expected job creation numbers.
Key Facts
- EJ Antoni is an economist at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
- Trump nominated EJ Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
- Erika McEntarfer, the previous BLS commissioner, was fired by Trump.
- The firing followed the release of July job numbers showing 73,000 new jobs, below the forecast of 109,000.
- Trump accused McEntarfer of "rigging" job figures, a claim other economists rejected.
- BLS also revised May and June job numbers downwards by 250,000 jobs.
- The revision was the biggest since 1979, excluding updates during the COVID-19 period.
- It is common for initial monthly job numbers to be adjusted as new data becomes available.
