Inside the Monthly Jobs Report: How the Government Counts Work

Every month, the federal government publishes one of the most closely watched economic reports in the country. It is officially known as the Employment Situation Summary, though most people simply call it the jobs report. The report comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an agency within the U.S. Department of Labor.

To produce the report, the agency relies on two separate surveys conducted each month. The household survey contacts a sample of homes and asks whether each adult is employed or looking for work. The business survey, often called the establishment survey, asks employers how many people they have on payroll. Because each survey measures something slightly different, economists usually look at both together.

The report's findings ripple far beyond government offices. Federal Reserve officials study the numbers closely when deciding whether to raise or lower interest rates. Those decisions affect mortgages, credit cards, and business loans nationwide. Investors, business owners, and everyday families pay attention as well.

Because the data comes from surveys rather than a complete count, the numbers are always estimates. They can be revised in later months as more complete information arrives. Economists generally advise against reading too much into any single month's report. Even so, each report offers an important snapshot of how millions of workers are faring at a given moment.