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Erica Groshen, a former Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), stated in August 2025 that it would be impossible to manipulate the agency's data without detection. Meddling with how government statisticians calculate unemployment and labor market trends would require “a whole new cadre” of people to be brought in by a new commissioner. She noted that the agency's culture, process, and transparency would trigger whistleblowers and resignations if such an attempt were made.

Groshen explained that the BLS's monthly reporting process is highly structured, with tight deadlines and specific, known roles for staff. The commissioner does not have access to the systems or raw data before the final numbers are produced.

The BLS maintains an internal culture that values independence and data integrity. According to Groshen, any attempt by a commissioner to meddle with the data would "immediately get pushback, resignations, [and] whistleblowers".

In a 2019 interview that was revisited in 2025, Groshen explained that if she had tried to manipulate data while commissioner, "the first people to turn me in would have been the employees of the BLS". She cited the security safeguards implemented since the Nixon administration, which protect the integrity and independence of data gathering, analysis, and reporting. Groshen noted that the process includes checks and rechecking, and the final data is not available to political appointees until release.

Former BLS commissioner William Beach: In August 2025, during a controversy involving the firing of then-BLS commissioner Erika McEntarfer, Beach stated on NBC's Meet the Press that it was "not possible" for a commissioner to influence the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) labor data. He explained that the process is decentralized by design to avoid interference. A commissioner is not involved in the collection or estimation of the raw data and does not see the final numbers until they are ready for release.

The commissioner is deliberately isolated from the technical process of collecting and compiling data. Former BLS Commissioner William Beach recalled being locked out of a room where data was being prepared to protect the integrity of the process.

Any attempt to manipulate the data would trigger whistleblowers and mass resignations among career employees, who would view such interference as a direct attack on their professional integrity.