Categories: Politics

Labor Department Says It Contacted Commerce on Jobs Charges

Jason Ippolito

Labor Department Says It Contacted Commerce on Jobs Charges (Bloomberg)

The Labor Department has contacted the Census Bureau about allegations in a New York Post article today that reported jobs data released before the 2012 presidential election were manipulated. “We have contacted the Census Bureau about the allegations and we understand that the matter has been referred to the Commerce Department for an investigation,” Stephen Barr, a senior managing director in the Labor Department’s Office of Public Affairs, said. Under pressure from supervisors to boost response rates in the Philadelphia region, Julius Buckmon, a former Census Bureau employee, said he made up information for people he couldn’t reach two years before the 2012 election, according to the Post story. The newspaper, citing an unnamed source, then said the practice went beyond a single employee, escalated in the year of the election and continues to this day. The House Oversight Committee, which has jurisdiction of the Census Bureau, announced it will investigate the matter. “The allegation that data gathered by the Census Bureau is being manipulated for any reason is extremely serious,” Blake Farenthold, a Republican from Texas who chairs the committee, said in an e-mailed statement.

Paul Dykewicz

Paul Dykewicz is the editor of StockInvestor.com and the editorial director of Eagle Financial Publications in Washington, D.C. He writes and edits for the website, as well as edits investment newsletters, time-sensitive trading alerts and other reports published by Eagle. He also is an accomplished, award-winning journalist who has written for Dow Jones, USA Today and other publications, as well as served as business editor of a daily newspaper in Baltimore. In addition, Paul is the author of the inspirational book, "Holy Smokes! Golden Guidance from Notre Dame's Championship Chaplain." He received his MBA in finance from Johns Hopkins University, where he was a two-time president of the school's Finance Club. In addition, Paul has a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a master's degree in journalism from Michigan State University. Outside of work, Paul volunteers with a faith-based organization to assist the poor in Southeast Washington, D.C., to learn personal finance skills to lift themselves out of debt.