Employment Rates Scandal Impacts Student Jobs

Addison Pendegraft, section editor

On Aug. 1, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced its July 2025 preliminary annual benchmark review of employment data and reported that there was an 818000-job downward revision as part of a standard, annual review process in 2024. In response to this review, President Donald Trump called for the dismissal of Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the director of the Labor Department’s BLS, which compiles the jobs numbers.  

Employment rates rely on trusted data to be accurate and informed data, but removing a key official can threaten that trust, especially when youth jobs that are vital for many high schoolers hinges on the economy’s stability. 

“I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump said on Truth Social, a social media platform created by a company founded by Trump called the Trump Media & Technology Group. “She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified.”  

The day he dismissed her, Trump also claimed that the statistical agency had altered employment numbers to harm him and boost his opponents. A claim he made with minimal evidence to back it up. Reportedly, Dr. McEntarfer's removal was exceedingly condemned by the Friends of BLS, a group that included two former BLS commissioners, particularly William Beach, who was appointed by Trump to the position. The group especially objected to the charge that the data was altered for political reasons. 

“This rationale for firing Dr. McEntarfer is without merit and undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics that are a cornerstone of intelligent economic decision-making by businesses, families, and policymakers,” a statement from the group said. 

The declaration of falsification strikes at the heart of U.S. economic credibility, calling into question the reliability of official federal economic reports that have long set the bar for transparency worldwide. Wall Street investors and economists have for decades generally accepted the data as impartial and without any political bias. This suggests a fragile labor market, and for working high school students, that weakness can be detrimental to their job stability. 

“A notable deterioration in U.S. labor market conditions appears to be underway,’' said Scott Anderson, Chief U.S. economist at BMO Capital Markets. 

According to the BLS civilian unemployment rates, unemployment among high school students hovers at about 11.5 percent, which is consistently higher than the national average of 4.2 percent. This means that when hiring slows, which seems to be the case, students are among the first to feel the effects. This is because most high schoolers are concentrated in retail, food service, hospitality and recreation sectors, which are industries that are highly sensitive to consumer spending patterns. When household budgets tighten, fewer people eat out, shop recreationally or pay for leisure services, prompting employers to cut hours or freeze hiring. And teens, often at the bottom of the seniority ladder, are usually the first to be let go. 

Companies with larger staff may be more prone to “cutting hours” and firing “certain people” said Ava Saxon, a junior, when asked about the stability of teenagers’ jobs since the BLS announcement. 

For many teens, a part-time job is more than just pocket money, but rather it’s a way to support themselves as well as their families. Part-time jobs also helps them develop strong economic habits, which will greatly benefit their ensuing success as adults. So, this fragile labor market could have lasting, detrimental effects on not only teenagers’ current economic situation, but their future ones as well. 

Overall, the recent BLS data overview has revealed the unfortune decline of the U.S. economy, a decline that results in a lack of job security, which is especially pervasive for teenagers. Trump’s claim of falsified data has only exacerbated the matter, degrading the credibility of the U.S. federal economic statistics which also calls into question the ethos of the past economic reports as well, all in all creating a general disaster for the economy as a whole.