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In 2021, the BLS public website welcomed nearly 29 million users, who viewed just over 158 million pages. Wow, that’s a lot of data! It shows the extensive and growing interest in information about our economy. Let’s take a quick look back over the past year. What are the topics of interest? We see clear trends and a few surprises.
From its humble beginnings more than a quarter century ago, www.bls.gov has become the primary way we make the latest BLS data and analysis available to the public.
First edition of the BLS website, 1995
Today, thousands of users get their first glimpse of the latest economic data through the website or through email alerts and tweets that link to the website. National economic news on employment, inflation, productivity, and other topics is first available on the website, with about 150 national releases each year. Not to be outdone, BLS regional office staff around the country last year posted nearly 1,000 regional and local news releases on the website.
And you came to check out those data—all 29 million of you.
Here’s a look at the five subject homepages that saw the greatest increase in page views from 2020 to 2021. You’ll note that all are timely topics.
The Business Response Survey to the Coronavirus Pandemic was a special data collection effort. Information from this survey was first available late in 2020, so the 166-percent increase in page views in 2021 is not surprising, especially given the great interest in all COVID-19 information. Results from a second round of this survey, with updated questions, will be available February 9, 2022.
Information from the Consumer Price Index also had more than a 100-percent increase in page views from 2020 to 2021, 106 percent increase to be exact. This is not a surprise, given the significant rise in prices recently.
Interest in inflation throughout the supply chain also led to a 60-percent increase in page views for Producer Price Indexes data.
BLS has been collecting data on Work Stoppages (strikes and lockouts) for many years, but interest in these data grew in 2021, perhaps because of several high-profile stoppages. There was a 25-percent increase in page views for these data.
Rounding out the top five was an 18-percent increase in page views for Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey data. With record numbers of job openings and heightened interest in churn in the labor force, these data have garnered much attention recently. We also began publishing a news release on state data in 2021 to meet the growing need for geographic information on job openings and labor turnover.
Turning to analytical data, some of the most viewed pages were those focusing on fast growing industries, inflation at both the consumer and producer level, and the impact of COVID-19 on many aspects of the economy, such as unemployment and food prices. But viewers were also attracted to some unique topics:
The most read Commissioner’s Corner blog was about the 17-year cycle of cicadas, with a look at economic trends during past cicada invasions.
We welcome our 29 million website visitors and encourage you to check back regularly. Your interests drive our commitment to provide timely research on relevant topics. There’s new content every business day, so you never know what new research may be right around the corner in 2022. It will all be at www.bls.gov. See you there!
I tell anyone who will listen that BLS staff love to talk about our data. We have LIVE people at the end of the phone line (or email request) who are happy to answer questions about BLS data and the methods behind those data. The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped our ability to respond to public questions. Even in our telework posture, we pride ourselves on outstanding customer service. All BLS statistical programs have staff who answer public information requests. We also have a central information staff out of our national office and eight information offices scattered around the country. Yes, we get questions, and we are more than happy to provide answers.
Recently, we’ve received some general questions about our methods, which cover multiple BLS programs. Here are a few of those questions and our answers.
Why does BLS revise published estimates?
One of the hallmarks of BLS economic indicators is their prompt release. We provide a “first look” at a variety of economic conditions, including employment and unemployment, price change, wages, productivity, and more. To release these data in a timely manner, we follow very strict data collection and processing schedules. Data obtained after the collection deadline are not included in the initial release but can be incorporated later. We identify data subject to these revisions as preliminary. Revisions are a necessary part of the statistical estimation process to ensure accuracy.
The Producer Price Index (PPI) recently expanded the amount of revised data available to the public. PPI data are revised for 4 months following initial release, again to account for information received following the initial deadline, thus providing a clearer picture of price change. Until recently, revised data were only available in the fourth month. For example, July data originally published in August would be revised with the November release in December. The expanded data now available show monthly revisions for each of the 4 months following initial release. So, following the initial release of July data in August, revised data for July are available in September, October, and November, before we release final data in December. This change is in response to requests from data users for these interim values.
We carefully design our survey samples to represent the people and businesses in the United States. Without input from these sample members, BLS indicators would not accurately reflect the economic and social conditions in our country. We strive to make completing our surveys as easy as possible, and we often offer multiple ways to provide information. We design survey questions that are easy to understand and answer in a short period of time.
Nearly all of our surveys are voluntary, which means the people, households, and organizations selected can choose whether to participate. We are grateful that the great majority of them agree to participate. The information benefits all of us.
BLS maintains response rate information on our website and updates this information on a regular basis. This information can be very technical, which is why BLS staff stand ready to answer any questions you might have about response rates.
Check out this video to learn more about the importance of responding to BLS surveys.
What effect did the pandemic have on BLS survey participation?
With some careful planning, a lot of hard work, and a little bit of luck, BLS has been able to release all planned data products on schedule, despite the pandemic. We weathered both internal and external challenges. While many of our tasks had been successfully tested in remote environments, we had to change a few processes. Fortunately, those changed processes were successful, and some even spawned innovations we will continue. Externally, we were mindful that many businesses had limited operations or were closed, and many households were preoccupied with illness, childcare, and other responsibilities. Response rates did decline. Since the start of the pandemic, each BLS program has provided more information about survey response and methods. In some cases, response rates have recovered from their pandemic lows, but many are still below levels before the pandemic.
What steps has BLS introduced to combat weak survey response during the pandemic?
BLS takes many different approaches to data collection and works closely with our partners in the states and other statistical agencies to obtain high quality information from businesses and households. Traditionally, some data collection is done in person, where BLS builds a relationship with survey respondents and shows them the importance of response. BLS also offers many options designed to make ongoing response easy, including use of the internet, email, file transfer, and others. At the start of the pandemic, BLS suspended all in-person data collection. We were fortunate that many businesses, even many of those with limited operations during the pandemic, maintained electronic records they provided to BLS, allowing us to continue producing key economic data.
For our part, the pandemic provided an opportunity to accelerate our ongoing move away from paper and mail. We used phone and email to contact respondents and obtain their data. We also began to experiment with video data collection, a process that proved very successful and is now a vital part of our data collection toolkit. While we started slowly with video collection, and took particular care to ensure confidentiality, we quickly discovered huge benefits. BLS staff can use video communications systems to share their screen, demonstrate BLS confidentiality procedures, show data products, and more. In person, shuffling all these papers can be a little unwieldy. With a little practice and planning, video data collection has proved invaluable.
BLS also has explored ways of capturing information without burdening respondents at all. In some cases, we are able to use web scraping to obtain needed data. We are also exploring supplemental data sources, such as data aggregators and crowd sourcing websites. We have accelerated these explorations during the pandemic. We are learning a lot and obtaining more and more data through these alternative approaches, which can mitigate the effects of declining response rates on data quality. These efforts will ensure that BLS data products remain of high quality with enough detail for stakeholders, while lessening respondent burden.
We will return to some in-person data collection over time and will use those interactions to build ongoing relationships. But we also will continue to advance these innovations, such as video collection and web scraping, as options to make data collection more efficient in the future.
Thanksgiving is right around the corner. As we start to think about how we will celebrate, it might be hard to imagine the ties between BLS statistics and celebrating Thanksgiving. So, here’s a short tour of a typical Thanksgiving Day as seen through a few BLS statistics. Enjoy!
9:00 a.m. Put the turkey in the oven
All good chefs know the key to a successful Thanksgiving feast is to get the turkey in the oven bright and early. Whether you are roasting your turkey or firing up a deep fryer in the driveway, you will have to pay more for the fuel. The Consumer Price Index for household energy was pretty stable through 2019 and the first half of 2020 but then started a steady rise in September 2020.
Editor’s note: Data for this chart are available in the table below.
10:00 a.m. Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused ups and downs in the labor market, much like the impact of a windy day for the famous balloons in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Keeping with the department store theme, employment in department stores plunged 25.3 percent in April 2020 but then rose 14.1 percent June 2020. These gyrations were more dramatic than the broader retail trade sector.
Editor’s note: Data for this chart are available in the table below.
2:00 p.m. Scope out Black Friday deals
After watching the parade, it’s time to plan our Black Friday shopping! As consumers, we are always trying to get more for less. In the retail trade industry, it turns out they are doing just that. The industry has produced more output with steady or decreasing hours worked. The result is a corresponding increase in labor productivity. Now, only if we could prepare a bigger Thanksgiving feast in less time!
Editor’s note: Data for this chart are available in the table below.
4:00 p.m. Play touch football
We need to make some room of the feast we are about to enjoy, so we assemble willing participants and play some touch football in the yard. The American Time Use Survey is the best source of information on how Americans spend their time each day. In this case, let’s compare how much time people spend playing sports versus how much time they spend watching sports on TV. We’ll look only at time spent in these activities on weekend days and holidays. The survey does not have details on what people watch on TV, but we can assume some time reported here is spent watching sports.
Editor’s note: Data for this chart are available in the table below.
We can see that Americans, on average, easily spend more time watching TV—3.36 hours—than playing sports—0.34 hours. But what is more interesting is that, on average, those who watch TV watch about 24 percent more than the overall population. However, those who play sports play, on average, nearly 6 times as many hours as the average for the population.
6:00 p.m. Thanksgiving feast
No matter what is on your dinner table this Thanksgiving, chances are it will cost more than previous years. All six major grocery store food groups in the Consumer Price Index for food at home continued to rise sharply in October 2021. Even if you decide to order out, it will set you back a bit more this year. Both full-service meals and limited services meals rose nearly 1 percent in October 2021.
Editor’s note: Data for this chart are available in the table below.
7:00 p.m. Watch football
Now that we’ve finished our delicious feast, it’s a time-honored tradition to watch a bit of football on TV. If you are buying a new TV for this holiday, you can expect to pay a bit more. After years of steady declines, import prices for television and video receivers have reversed trend in 2021, much like a wide receiver changing direction to find an opening and catch a game-winning touchdown pass!
Editor’s note: Data for this chart are available in the table below.
9:00 p.m. Say goodbye
It’s hard to say goodbye to your friends and family. In the United States, however, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey is showing that workers are saying goodbye to their employers more often these days. The number of quits has been rising steadily since the shock of the pandemic affected layoffs and discharges in early 2020. (It’s only a coincidence that the layoffs line in the chart below looks like the outline of a pilgrim’s hat.)
Editor’s note: Data for this chart are available in the table below.
Now we’ve come to the end of our Thanksgiving feast of BLS data. Our hunger for the premier statistics on the U.S. labor force, prices, and productivity, has been satisfied, and we can rest easily knowing there’s a stat for that!
Consumer Price Index for household energy
Month
Index
Jan 2019
100.000
Feb 2019
99.662
Mar 2019
100.046
Apr 2019
99.952
May 2019
99.679
Jun 2019
99.258
Jul 2019
99.415
Aug 2019
99.253
Sep 2019
99.033
Oct 2019
99.756
Nov 2019
99.890
Dec 2019
99.716
Jan 2020
99.666
Feb 2020
99.355
Mar 2020
98.812
Apr 2020
98.492
May 2020
98.278
Jun 2020
98.501
Jul 2020
98.542
Aug 2020
98.478
Sep 2020
99.590
Oct 2020
100.103
Nov 2020
101.043
Dec 2020
101.377
Jan 2021
101.299
Feb 2021
102.681
Mar 2021
103.436
Apr 2021
104.748
May 2021
105.512
Jun 2021
105.840
Jul 2021
106.664
Aug 2021
107.833
Sep 2021
109.273
Oct 2021
112.872
Monthly percent change in employment in retail trade and department stores
Month
Retail trade
Department stores
Jan 2019
-0.1%
0.2%
Feb 2019
-0.2
-1.4
Mar 2019
-0.1
-0.6
Apr 2019
-0.1
-0.9
May 2019
-0.1
-0.5
Jun 2019
-0.1
-0.7
Jul 2019
0.0
-0.9
Aug 2019
-0.1
-1.4
Sep 2019
0.1
0.3
Oct 2019
0.2
0.0
Nov 2019
-0.2
0.4
Dec 2019
0.3
-0.4
Jan 2020
-0.1
-2.7
Feb 2020
0.0
0.3
Mar 2020
-0.8
-0.6
Apr 2020
-14.5
-25.3
May 2020
3.1
6.7
Jun 2020
6.3
14.1
Jul 2020
1.7
4.3
Aug 2020
1.7
2.3
Sep 2020
0.2
-0.8
Oct 2020
0.7
0.2
Nov 2020
0.0
0.7
Dec 2020
0.2
-0.6
Jan 2021
0.1
-0.3
Feb 2021
0.1
0.5
Mar 2021
0.3
0.1
Apr 2021
-0.1
0.2
May 2021
0.4
0.9
Jun 2021
0.6
1.3
Jul 2021
0.0
0.3
Aug 2021
0.1
-0.5
Sep 2021
0.4
0.5
Oct 2021
0.2
-0.2
Indexes for labor productivity, hours worked, and output in retail trade
Year
Labor productivity
Hours worked
Output
2007
100.000
100.000
100.000
2008
97.765
97.658
95.475
2009
98.294
92.032
90.461
2010
100.694
92.667
93.310
2011
101.397
94.686
96.008
2012
103.655
95.673
99.170
2013
108.080
95.212
102.905
2014
109.919
97.268
106.916
2015
113.486
98.821
112.148
2016
118.525
98.636
116.908
2017
120.719
99.896
120.593
2018
124.393
99.783
124.123
2019
130.360
98.139
127.934
2020
140.392
94.650
132.880
Average hours spent watching TV and playing sports, weekend days and holidays, 2019
Activity
Hours
Watching TV (average of population)
3.36
Watching TV (average of those who watched TV)
4.17
Playing sports (average of population)
0.34
Playing sports (average of those who played sports)
1.94
Consumer Price Indexes for food at home and food away from home
Month
Food at home
Food away from home
Jan 2018
100.000
100.000
Feb 2018
99.793
100.243
Mar 2018
99.780
100.352
Apr 2018
100.026
100.594
May 2018
99.779
100.929
Jun 2018
99.865
101.113
Jul 2018
100.127
101.229
Aug 2018
100.198
101.421
Sep 2018
100.252
101.645
Oct 2018
100.046
101.738
Nov 2018
100.259
102.029
Dec 2018
100.554
102.437
Jan 2019
100.683
102.789
Feb 2019
101.014
103.153
Mar 2019
101.163
103.342
Apr 2019
100.716
103.676
May 2019
100.913
103.894
Jun 2019
100.718
104.232
Jul 2019
100.716
104.443
Aug 2019
100.654
104.669
Sep 2019
100.902
104.940
Oct 2019
101.124
105.139
Nov 2019
101.324
105.310
Dec 2019
101.331
105.611
Jan 2020
101.440
106.000
Feb 2020
101.851
106.236
Mar 2020
102.220
106.395
Apr 2020
104.775
106.550
May 2020
105.718
106.942
Jun 2020
106.309
107.496
Jul 2020
105.343
108.002
Aug 2020
105.322
108.309
Sep 2020
105.051
108.911
Oct 2020
105.177
109.210
Nov 2020
105.012
109.342
Dec 2020
105.335
109.751
Jan 2021
105.203
110.122
Feb 2021
105.474
110.180
Mar 2021
105.587
110.311
Apr 2021
106.047
110.649
May 2021
106.423
111.258
Jun 2021
107.309
112.047
Jul 2021
108.031
112.923
Aug 2021
108.431
113.405
Sep 2021
109.779
114.013
Oct 2021
110.841
114.965
Import price index for television and video receivers
Month
Index
Jan 2011
100.000
Feb 2011
100.173
Mar 2011
100.173
Apr 2011
99.136
May 2011
98.964
Jun 2011
97.409
Jul 2011
97.064
Aug 2011
96.373
Sep 2011
95.855
Oct 2011
94.991
Nov 2011
93.092
Dec 2011
94.128
Jan 2012
94.819
Feb 2012
94.473
Mar 2012
93.955
Apr 2012
92.573
May 2012
92.573
Jun 2012
92.401
Jul 2012
92.401
Aug 2012
92.573
Sep 2012
92.228
Oct 2012
92.573
Nov 2012
90.155
Dec 2012
90.155
Jan 2013
89.810
Feb 2013
89.637
Mar 2013
88.256
Apr 2013
88.083
May 2013
87.910
Jun 2013
87.910
Jul 2013
87.392
Aug 2013
87.219
Sep 2013
85.838
Oct 2013
85.492
Nov 2013
85.492
Dec 2013
85.492
Jan 2014
85.320
Feb 2014
85.320
Mar 2014
85.147
Apr 2014
84.801
May 2014
84.283
Jun 2014
84.111
Jul 2014
83.074
Aug 2014
82.902
Sep 2014
83.074
Oct 2014
81.865
Nov 2014
81.865
Dec 2014
81.347
Jan 2015
79.965
Feb 2015
79.965
Mar 2015
79.965
Apr 2015
79.965
May 2015
79.620
Jun 2015
79.620
Jul 2015
79.620
Aug 2015
79.620
Sep 2015
79.620
Oct 2015
79.447
Nov 2015
79.275
Dec 2015
78.929
Jan 2016
78.756
Feb 2016
77.547
Mar 2016
77.375
Apr 2016
77.029
May 2016
76.857
Jun 2016
77.029
Jul 2016
76.857
Aug 2016
76.684
Sep 2016
76.684
Oct 2016
76.684
Nov 2016
76.684
Dec 2016
76.684
Jan 2017
76.166
Feb 2017
76.166
Mar 2017
75.820
Apr 2017
75.993
May 2017
75.993
Jun 2017
75.993
Jul 2017
75.993
Aug 2017
75.993
Sep 2017
75.820
Oct 2017
75.475
Nov 2017
75.302
Dec 2017
75.130
Jan 2018
75.130
Feb 2018
75.302
Mar 2018
74.784
Apr 2018
74.439
May 2018
74.266
Jun 2018
73.575
Jul 2018
72.884
Aug 2018
72.884
Sep 2018
72.712
Oct 2018
72.539
Nov 2018
72.366
Dec 2018
72.021
Jan 2019
71.330
Feb 2019
70.812
Mar 2019
70.466
Apr 2019
70.466
May 2019
70.294
Jun 2019
69.948
Jul 2019
69.775
Aug 2019
69.603
Sep 2019
69.603
Oct 2019
69.430
Nov 2019
69.085
Dec 2019
68.912
Jan 2020
69.430
Feb 2020
68.048
Mar 2020
67.358
Apr 2020
66.839
May 2020
66.667
Jun 2020
66.667
Jul 2020
66.494
Aug 2020
66.494
Sep 2020
66.321
Oct 2020
66.667
Nov 2020
67.358
Dec 2020
68.048
Jan 2021
68.739
Feb 2021
68.739
Mar 2021
68.566
Apr 2021
69.775
May 2021
70.639
Jun 2021
70.812
Jul 2021
73.402
Aug 2021
73.402
Sep 2021
74.439
Oct 2021
74.784
Quits, layoffs and discharges, and other job separations
BLS was established in 1884, and some of our programs date back nearly that far. We have more than a century of statistics on prices, employment, wages, productivity, and more. But even in those early days, we realized that pages full of numbers can be a little dull. We frequently use pictures to tell the stories behind those numbers and help readers see the important points more quickly. Let’s look at over a century of BLS price statistics, in five charts.
The first chart, which looks hand drawn, was originally presented as part of the Department of Labor’s exhibit at the Century of Progress International Exposition in Chicago in 1933, also known as the Chicago World’s Fair.
The chart below depicts changes in the cost of living from 1913 to 1932, based on the BLS Consumer Price Index. Here we see market baskets (with legs) rising during World War I, then declining and holding steady during the roaring 1920s, and declining as the nation entered the Great Depression.
The next chart, again looking hand drawn – this time perhaps with a ruler – compares wholesale prices (what we now call the Producer Price Index) in the years leading up to the United States entering World War I and World War II. It comes from the first of two BLS bulletins on Wartime Prices. The increase in the wholesale price for all commodities was nearly twice as great in the earlier period, reflecting large differences in the price change for such commodities as fuel and chemicals.
Now, let’s move forward about 20 years. BLS published a chart book in 1963 focusing on price changes over the prior decade. The chart book presented both consumer and wholesale prices for the nation, along with consumer price trends in the 12 largest U.S. cities. The chart shown here, perhaps produced on an early computer, tracks the change in prices for all consumer items, and separately for various categories. Prices for durable commodities, such as appliances and furniture, declined in the early part of the period and later rebounded, resulting in virtually no price change over the decade. In contrast, the price of services, such as shelter, transportation, and medical care, rose steadily throughout the period.
With advances in computer software, BLS expanded the use of charts to allow readers to visualize data trends. Such charts became prominent in the BLS flagship publication, the Monthly Labor Review. In an article from 1987, data from the BLS International Price Program track price changes for selected imports.
BLS ushered in the age of interactive charts in recent years, making chart packages available with most news releases. In the chart below, readers can track a decade of consumer price changes for all items, and then click on selected categories to compare trends. Want to compare price changes for food at home with food away from home? It’s just a couple of clicks away.
Our charts today are a lot more sophisticated than the hand-drawn charts of the early twentieth century. They may not have amusing cartoon characters like the CPI market basket with legs, but they have interactive features that let you dig into more details about the data or choose the data you want to see. We also have several publications that focus on the visual display of data. Check out The Economics Daily and Spotlight on Statistics!
BLS is one of several U.S. statistical agencies that follow consistent policies and share best practices. These agencies also frequently work with their statistical counterparts around the world to develop standards, share information, troubleshoot issues, and improve the quality of available data. At BLS, our Division of International Technical Cooperation coordinates these activities. The division helps to strengthen statistical development by organizing seminars, consultations, and meetings for international visitors with BLS staff. The division also provides BLS input on global statistical initiatives. Without missing a beat, most of these activities moved to virtual platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite some time-zone challenges, which often lead to early morning or late-night video meetings, BLS continues to play an active role on the world stage.
Today I’m highlighting some recent international engagements, which have included our colleagues from Australia, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. These events are often mutually beneficial, as they provide opportunities for BLS staff to learn more about the experiences of our international counterparts.
BLS staff met with a former Australian Bureau of Statistics official who was working with the U.K. Statistics Authority and the U.K. Office for National Statistics to research best practices in implementing international statistical standards. They discussed the international comparability of domestic industry and product classifications, data quality and publishing, and the independence of statistical organizations.
Staff from the Australian Bureau of Statistics are planning to revise their household expenditure survey. They turned to BLS experts, who shared their insights and experiences in improving our Consumer Expenditure Surveys.
Staff from the Statistical Division at the United Nations asked BLS to comment on issues surrounding the classification of business functions; household income, consumption, and wealth; and unpaid household service work. Input from staff in multiple offices will inform the BLS response to this request.
BLS staff, our counterparts in Canada and Mexico, and colleagues from across Europe and Asia discussed data ethics in a meeting organized by the Centre for Applied Data Ethics at the U.K. Statistics Authority. Country representatives summarized how their organizations assess ethical considerations when producing official statistics. The U.K. Statistics Authority identified the following ethical considerations as being especially important:
And that’s just some of what we did this summer! BLS has a longstanding reputation for providing expert training and guidance and participating in international statistical forums. We also provide BLS data to the International Labour Organization and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, among others. These organizations often feature BLS statistics in their databases. Since its inception, BLS has provided technical assistance to our international counterparts, starting with our first Commissioner, Carroll Wright, who directed BLS staff to advise foreign governments establishing statistical agencies. Commissioner Wright was also a member of several international statistical associations, a tradition that continues today. Currently, BLS staff participate in many international expert groups, including the Voorburg Group on Service Statistics, the Wiesbaden Group on Business Registers, and the International Conference of Labor Statisticians. These groups provide BLS staff with opportunities to discuss topics of common interest, to propose and learn about innovative solutions to data measurement issues, and to influence discussions about important economic concepts.
BLS began providing technical assistance in earnest in the late 1940s as part of the U.S. government’s European Economic Recovery Program. BLS staff planned and conducted productivity studies and helped European governments establish their own economic statistics. Similar efforts continue today for our colleagues around the world, many of whom have participated in our international training programs. While we have temporarily halted in-person training programs because of the pandemic, our staff plan to provide more training modules virtually in response to the popularity of these programs. Over the last 10 years, BLS has provided training or other technical assistance to over 1,700 seminar participants and other visitors from 95 countries. More recently, the International Monetary Fund has asked BLS to provide training on Producer Price Indexes and Import and Export Price Indexes to our colleagues abroad.
I am incredibly grateful to all the subject matter experts throughout BLS who provide invaluable assistance with these activities and help maintain our excellent reputation in the international statistical community. We look forward to your continued support as BLS strengthens important international relationships, virtually for now, and hopefully in person soon.