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FACT BRIEF

Was the Biden administration's revision of a jobs report fraud?

By Tom Kertscher
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NO

The government revises job numbers annually as more information becomes available.

Former President Donald Trump falsely stated in Milwaukee that the Biden administration “fraudulently claimed” to have created 818,000 jobs.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Aug. 21, 2024, “in accordance with usual practice,” its estimate of the annual “benchmark revision” of jobs numbers. The revision will occur in February 2025.

The estimate said the number of jobs added in the year ending March 31, 2024, was 818,000 fewer than had been previously shown in monthly reports.

Monthly figures come from employer surveys; the annual revision comes from unemployment records.

“Economists across the ideological spectrum” said the revision was not manipulation, PolitiFact reported.

The revision of 0.5% was higher than the 0.1% average and the highest since 2009.

Under Trump, there was a 0.3% downward adjustment of 514,000 jobs for the year ending March 31, 2019.

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Forbes Breaking News Trump Unleashes Attacks On Kamala Harris At Campaign Rally In Milwaukee, Wisconsin
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CES Preliminary Benchmark Announcement
Economic Policy Innovation Center Why Did the Bureau of Labor Statistics Just Cut Its Employment Estimates by 818,000 Jobs? - EPIC for America
PolitiFact Donald Trump’s Pants on Fire claim that Biden, Harris manipulated job data
Conference Board Payroll Revisions Could Cut 800,000 from Jobs Gains, or Not
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics BLS Establishment Survey National Estimates Revised to Incorporate March 2019 Benchmarks
Politico US job totals will likely be revised down by 818,000 as Trump cries fraud - POLITICO
SanTander Corporate Investment & Banking A primer on the benchmark payroll revision
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.