Accuracy of government job counts questioned

Steve Hine
Steve Hine is Minnesota's chief labor market economist.
MPR Photo / Annie Baxter

Questions about the accuracy of employment numbers have become a point of contention in the hotly contested Wisconsin recall election. But officials in Minnesota are also raising questions about the federal government's job counts, even without a governor's seat at stake.

The monthly employment report for April showed Minnesota continued to lose jobs even as other indicators are pointing to job growth.

Steve Hine, Minnesota's chief labor market economist, has also been critical of the job counts produced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which took over the job from state officials last year.

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