Michigan’s monthly jobs report would have revealed employment data for the month of September. It was not released as scheduled Thursday due to the federal government shutdown.
The September report would have included the month’s unemployment rate, the number of employed and unemployed people and revealed which sectors of the economy lost or gained jobs. The holdback of the state report follows the stalled release of national data due to the shutdown.
“They did not issue a U.S. jobs report and a lot of those data and inputs that the federal government collects trickle down to the states,” said Michigan Bureau of Labor Market Information Director Wayne Rourke. “So, we’re not getting the data and the inputs that we would need to calculate the monthly jobs report that we do here in the State of Michigan.”
The September data exist, but it has not been shared with states because the people who would do that are furloughed. But Rourke said the employer surveys and other data needed for the October report are not yet in hand.
“They are not doing that right now,” he said. “Unless we open back up very soon in the next day or week, October data will not be collected on its typical cadence.”
Rourke said it is not clear how a sustained shutdown would affect the quality of future reports. The August report showed Michigan’s jobless rate was down slightly. That was because fewer people were looking for work.
The report is important to academics, economists, government policymakers and, of course, businesses. Eligibility for grants and some types of government programs can take state or regional employment data into account.
The impact of the government is still playing out as federal workers face furloughs and layoffs depending on the outcome of court challenges. Programs and benefits could be delayed or cut.
Rachel Richards with the Michigan League for Public Policy, a human services advocacy organization, said Michigan still has money to fund food assistance programs for lower-income families, but the loss of federal funds will be felt soon by households that rely on that help.
“So, this is really going to start really impacting families’ pocketbooks in the next couple of weeks as families are unable to access assistance that helps them put groceries on the table,” she said.
A Whitmer administration official said there is also a concern that the shutdown could lead to “slower responsiveness across the board given furloughs,” which could affect the state’s ability to deliver services.”
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