Trump appointed controversial economist Antoni as BLS head – what now?

Trump appointed controversial economist Antoni as BLS head – what now?

August 15, 2025 brings new excitement to the US political arena. US President Donald Trump today appointed E. J. Antoni as the new head of the Labor Statistics Authority (BLS) nominated. This was done via Truth Social and is not surprising since Antoni is known as the Chief Economist at the Heritage Foundation. In the past, he has sharply criticized the BLS's methods and believed that better ways to collect and process data were urgently needed.

Antoni emphasized in a post on X that accurate data is essential to regain the public's lost trust in the authority. This remark is no coincidence, as Trump had already ordered the dismissal of the previous BLS head, Erika McEntarfer, after the publication of weak labor market data for July. The president described the published figures as manipulated, raising concerns about possible political influence on data collection and publication.

The challenges of the BLS

In its current structure, the BLS surveys around 121,000 companies and authorities for its labor market report. However, the response rate has seen a worrying decline, from 80.3% in October 2020 to just around 67.1%. As a result, staff cuts within the BLS have significantly reduced the amount of data collected to calculate inflation. This could mean that the upcoming labor market figures will be even less reliable.

The importance of a well-functioning and transparent authority in such times cannot be overestimated. An agency like the BLS is not only an important administrative tool, but also a catalyst for economic decisions in government and in the economy. The challenges it faces are primarily shaped by political trends and the need for reliable data.

The way forward

It will be particularly interesting to see how E. J. Antoni will lead the BLS and whether he can really meet the challenges facing the agency. As we know, changes at the top often have far-reaching consequences, not only for the agency itself, but also for the entire economy. Whether the proposed changes to increase the accuracy of data will actually be implemented remains to be seen.

In conclusion, the trend towards more political influence over economic data and statistics in the US continues. The pressure on the BLS and its new leader will be high, not only with regard to the collection but also the processing of the data. When something changes, we need to make sure we look behind it to understand where it's headed - and whether it's really adding value to us.

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