Hansi Luang

Economic indicators and other statistics the Census Bureau produces rely on survey responses that are often collected in person or over the phone by field representatives.

A review by the Commerce Department Inspector General's Office has found that the Census Bureau has not met its staffing goal for those interviewers, including for the current population survey that produces the monthly jobs report.

Many field representatives don't stay in their jobs for long, the inspector general's office found, in part because the pay is often relatively low and it can be difficult to persuade people to participate in a government survey. The inspector general's report recommends that a plan for addressing staffing gaps be developed by the Census Bureau's director.

President Trump has not yet named a nominee to fill that position.