The US Capitol is seen in the background as signage for US Department of Labor is seen in Washington, DC on August 4, 2025.
Jim Watson | Afp | Getty Images
The Labor Department is making ready for what would quantity to a information and information blackout ought to the U.S. authorities droop operations.
In a contingency plan launched Friday, the division mentioned it was wanting “to ensure that DOL agencies can perform an orderly suspension of programs and operations should a lapse occur, while continuing those limited activities authorized to continue during a lapse.”
While the division’s scope covers a multitude of areas, the impression on information releases might be urgent for traders. The DOL, in conjunction with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, has a number of key reviews upcoming that can present necessary clues in regards to the course of the financial system and inform Federal Reserve policymakers forward of their subsequent assembly in October.
“BLS will suspend all operations,” the 73-page plan acknowledged. “Economic data that are scheduled to be released during the lapse will not be released.”
Among the necessary upcoming reviews that might be impacted: On Friday, the BLS will release the month-to-month nonfarm payrolls report at a time when job progress has been weakening considerably. The division additionally releases the preliminary jobless claims report every Thursday.
Then, on Oct. 15, it’s scheduled to release the patron worth index, a key inflation indicator and in truth the final such studying the Fed will get earlier than it convenes Oct. 28-29.
In addition to not releasing the reviews, the division famous that “all active data collection activities for BLS surveys will cease,” indicating that other reviews might be delayed ought to the shutdown drag on.
“The BLS website will not be updated with new content or restored in the event of a technical failure during a lapse,” the release mentioned.
In all, the BLS releases about a dozen financial reviews every month, additionally involving import and export costs, wages and other actions associated to customers and staff.