Revisions to US Jobs Numbers Are Routine. Here’s Why: QuickTake

Major revisions to US government data released in early August showed the labor market is in a worse position than previously thought, a development that rattled markets and prompted President Donald Trump to claim, without evidence, that the numbers were “rigged” and fire the person in charge of the data.

But while the revision was bigger than usual and essentially changed the way many economists view the job market, the adjustment is part of the routine process at the Bureau of Labor Statistics of updating estimates as more data become available.

Job seekers at a job fair in Los Angeles.

Photographer: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg

How do payroll revisions work?

The ...