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Citing economics, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is going to stop producing a report detailing layoffs:
The monthly Labor Department analysis, known as the Mass Layoffs Statistics report, detailed where workplaces with more than 50 employees closed and what kinds of workers were affected.
This means that economists and policy makers will no longer have a reliable source for determining where job losses are coming from, and who is being affected by them. There will no longer be a reliable way to say "The Auto industry is being most affected by the downturn" or "heavy industry in America appears to be shedding jobs at a record rate". The States are very unhappy about this, as it is an aid in directing displaced workers:
"In the current recession, MLS data have increased in value and are being followed and evaluated more closely," Catherine B. Leapheart, president of the National Association of State Work Force Agencies, wrote in a letter to Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao. "The states have come to rely on this information as an economic indicator and a tool for operational decisions on service delivery and funding allocations for dislocated-worker programs."
The Bush Administration doesn't appear to care. This report is useful in determining the effect of economic policies and in helping people find jobs - but the Bush Administration doesn't think it can afford it.
