The Washington Post reports that the US Bureau of Labor Statistics will stop publishing its monthly Mass Layoffs Statistics report, which detailed information about factory closings across the country and layoffs in places where more than 50 employees were let go.
The decision was a financial one, according to the Department of Labor; the report cost $6.6 million a year to produce, and there are just “finite resources.” A spokesman said that it was more important to use funds to get people back to work as opposed to reporting when people are out of work.
Some state and organized labor officials were critical of the decision, saying that it had provided useful information in a time of economic transition.
The decision was a financial one, according to the Department of Labor; the report cost $6.6 million a year to produce, and there are just “finite resources.” A spokesman said that it was more important to use funds to get people back to work as opposed to reporting when people are out of work.
Some state and organized labor officials were critical of the decision, saying that it had provided useful information in a time of economic transition.
- KC's View:
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Hey, every million dollars is important when you’re facing possible wars on two continents…
Actually, we think there is some logic to the argument that it makes sense to use finite resources to put people back to work…as long as there are programs in place to make sure this happens.
We also suspect that if the economy were in better shape, that report would still be published. Then again, if the economy were in better shape, perhaps resources would be less “finite”…
