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1 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov BLS Products and Opportunities Erica L. Groshen Commissioner U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics American Statistical Association July 12, 2016
1 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov
BLS Products and Opportunities
Erica L. Groshen
Commissioner
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
American Statistical Association
July 12, 2016
2 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov
BLS mission
� Principal Federal agency
responsible for measuring
� labor market activity
� working conditions
� price changes in the
economy
� … collect, analyze, and
disseminate essential
economic information
� … support public and private
decision making
3 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov
BLS…Census…BEA
BLS
Est. 1884
2,405 employees
Census
Est. 1902
13,849 employees
BEA
Est. 1953
463 employees
• Employment
• Prices
• Wages
• Productivity
• Safety/health
• Population
• Demographics
• Poverty
• Industry revenue
• Housing
• Gross Domestic
Product (GDP)
• Input/output
• Balance of
Payments
4 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov
Building blocks for BLS data
ccurate. . . Getting it right
bjective. . . Free from bias
elevant. . . Information you can use
imely. . . Getting it out quickly
ccessible. . . Meeting you where you are
5 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov5 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov
Earnings and unemployment rates
by educational attainment
Note: 2015 data are for persons age 25 and over. Earnings are for full-time wage and salary workers.
Source: BLS Current Population Survey
6 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov
BLS Employment Projections
�10-year projections made every 2 years
�2014-24 projections cover over 800 occupations and
300 industries
�Basis for Occupational Outlook Handbook
�Pairs data with occupational descriptions
�BLS projections prepared at national level only
�Input for state and local employment projections
�Used for career preparation decisions
7 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov 7
Employment by detailed occupation, 2014 and projected 2024
2014 National
Employment
Matrix title
EmploymentTypical
educational
degree needed
for entry
Median
annual wage,
2015
Number, in
thousands Change, 2014-24
2014 2024 Number Percent
Mathematicians 3.5 4.2 0.7 21.4 Master's $111,110
Economists 21.5 22.7 1.2 5.7 Master's $99,180
Actuaries 24.6 29.0 4.4 18.1 Bachelor's $97,070
Statisticians 30.0 40.1 10.1 33.8 Master's $80,110
Mathematical
science teachers,
postsecondary
63.5 73.9 10.4 16.4Doctoral or
professional$67,170
Survey
researchers16.7 18.7 1.9 11.6 Master's $53,920
Source: BLS Employment Projections program
8 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov
BLS employment by occupation
Total Employees: 2,405 Note: Employment data include full-time (2004) and part-time (401) employees
and represents employees on-board as of May 15, 2016.
Economist and Statistician
(1229) 51%
Economist Assistant (402) 17%
IT Specialist (393) 16%
Mathematical Statistician
(101) 4%
Secretary/Clerk/ Assistant (73) 3%
Others (207) 9%
9 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov
BLS employment by college
degree attainment, 1980 - 2016
9
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1980 1990 2000 2007 2011 2015 2016
Bachelor's degree Master's degree Ph.D.
10 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov
BLS new hires in mission-critical
occupations*
10
63
87
98
0
20
40
60
80
100
FY 2013 FY 2014 FY2015
FY 2013 FY 2014 FY2015
* Economists, statisticians and math statisticians.
11 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov
Perks
� Make a mark doing innovative
and important work
� Satisfaction of serving
� Work-life balance
� Opportunities to learn
and grow
12 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov
Internships
� Pathways
�Recent grads
�Summer interns
�Grad students
� All paid positions
� Training requirement
� www.bls.gov/jobs
13 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov13 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov
Resources for researchers
� Access public data
� Use confidential
microdata
14 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov14 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov
Opportunities and challenges
� Harnessing “Big Data”
� More work with BEA, Census, and academic
researchers
� Renewed attention to labor market issues
� Growth and diversity of users and
dissemination modes
� Maintaining response rates and user trust
Contact Information
15 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov
Erica L. Groshen
Commissioner
202-691-7800
