Van Hollen, DeLauro Lead Effort to Protect Data on Women Workers at BLS
Van Hollen, DeLauro Lead Effort to Protect Data on Women Workers at BLS
(Washington, D.C.)-United States Representatives Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and a bipartisan group of legislators - including the co-chairs of the Congressional Women's Caucus and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi - today sent a letter to the Bureau of Labor Statistics asking the agency to reconsider its recent decision to discontinue data collection on women workers in the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program.
The CES survey of payroll records provides detailed industry data on employment, hours and earnings of non-farm workers on a monthly basis. The payroll survey is considered the most reliable source for tracking changes in month-to-month employment and covers more than 300,000 businesses.
"The value of this data far outweighs the burden of providing it," said Van Hollen. "No one questions the importance of minimizing needless respondent burden -- but eliminating vital information about women's employment is the wrong thing to cut."
"I oppose the change proposed by the Department of Labor to discontinue data collection on the number of women in the Current Employment Statistics program," said DeLauro. "This is crucial information for policymakers and researchers regarding women's employment and unemployment on a month-to-month basis. Without this data, we would not have a complete picture of employment changes in our country."
The text of the letter follows:
January 25, 2005
Commissioner Kathleen P. Utgoff
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Postal Square Building
2 Massachusetts Ave., NE
Washington, DC 20212-0001
Dear Commissioner Utgoff:
We are writing to express our concern about the Bureau of Labor Statistics' recently announced decision to discontinue data collection on women workers in the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey after July 2005.
As you know, the CES survey of payroll records covers over 300,000 businesses and provides detailed industry data on employment, hours, and earnings of non-farm workers on a monthly basis. As such, it represents a critical, ongoing source of employment information for policymakers and researchers. With a gender breakdown, the payroll survey is capable of painting a reliable picture of where women are working across industries and business cycles. Without a gender breakdown, that picture becomes far more difficult to obtain.
In that regard, we do not believe the Current Population Survey (CPS) is an adequate substitute for the CES in this area. While the CPS is valuable for other types of information, its smaller sampling size produces a greater margin for error than the CES survey, as the Bureau itself has noted. Moreover, the CPS' reliance on household interviews introduces the possibility of subjective reporting bias that does not exist with the payroll survey.
While we appreciate the Bureau's interest in continuously evaluating and improving the data it collects, as well as reducing respondent burden, we believe the compilation of women worker data in the CES survey represents a critical component of the Bureau's work. Therefore, we respectfully request that you reconsider this decision and continue publishing women worker information in the CES after July 2005.
Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
Chris Van Hollen
Rosa L. DeLauro
Shelley Moore Capito
Louise Slaughter
Nancy Pelosi
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Ginny Brown-Waite
John Dingell
George Miller
Steve Israel
Maxine Waters
Julia Carson
Carolyn McCarthy
Lynn C. Woolsey
Tammy Baldwin
Jerrold Nadler
Anthony D. Weiner
Dale E. Kildee
Barbara Lee
Neil Abercrombie
Pete Stark
Raul M. Grijalva
Carolyn Maloney
Juanita Millender-McDonald
Grace F. Napolitano
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Hilda L. Solis
Loretta Sanchez
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Diane E. Watson
Ellen O. Tauscher
Jose E. Serrano
Michael H. Michaud
Linda T. Sanchez
Steven R. Rothman
Allyson Y. Schwartz
Martin T. Meehan
John W. Olver
Eddie Bernice Johnson
William D. Delahunt
Lloyd Doggett
Danny K. Davis
Ben Chandler
Susan Davis
Janice D. Schakowsky
Major R. Owens
Timothy H. Bishop
John F. Tierney
Robert E. Andrews
Sander M. Levin
Dennis J. Kucinich
Ron Kind
Rush D. Holt
Sam Farr
Barney Frank
Ruben Hinojosa
Gwen Moore
Albert R. Wynn
Brian Baird
Nydia M. Velasquez
Judy Biggert
Lois Capps
http://www.house.gov/delauro/press/2005/January/bls_women_workers_01_25_05.html