One-third of senior positions are currently vacant at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

On September 9, according to the website of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a third of the senior positions at the agency responsible for producing crucial U.S. employment and inflation data are vacant. Although there is an acting director in place, a series of other leadership positions responsible for overseeing employment statistics and various aspects of field operations remain unfilled. According to insiders, many employees who have worked at the agency for decades accepted the Trump administration's offer of deferred resignations in recent months. This has posed challenges for the agency, which has about 2,000 career employees, especially after President Trump fired the agency's director last month. It is unclear whether the lower-level positions responsible for data collection and analysis can be filled quickly, as the federal hiring freeze will last until October 15. (Jin10)