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Institute for Compensation Studies

Veteran Economist, Insider Matsumoto Wins Senate Approval as BLS Commissioner

Reuters
Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, comments on the significance of Brett Matsumoto’s appointment as the bureau’s new commissioner and on current political and financial challenges facing statistical agencies.
Veteran Economist, Insider Matsumoto Wins Senate Approval as BLS Commissioner

Rising health insurance costs may take a bite out of your paycheck

Marketplace
The cost of health insurance for employers is going up due to the introduction of new drugs, rising wages for healthcare workers, and an aging workforce says Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor, in this audio interview.
Rising health insurance costs may take a bite out of your paycheck

Why the Bureau of Economic Analysis is updating how it calculates inflation

Marketplace
“These measures of what inflation is are part of what the Federal Reserve looks at when it sets interest rates,” explains Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor, in this audio interview about this year’s changes to how the Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates inflation.
Why the Bureau of Economic Analysis is updating how it calculates inflation

What happens when wages grow at the same rate as inflation

Marketplace
Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor, explains how stagnant real earnings and reduced job-changing are affecting worker purchasing power.
What happens when wages grow at the same rate as inflation

Trump fired the BLS chief over 'rigged' data claims. Economists say it cost the economy $20 billion

Yahoo! Finance
The U.S. economy took a $20 billion hit in response to President Trump’s firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer says a research-based analysis, which was co-written by Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner. [Syndicated from Moneywise]
Trump fired the BLS chief over 'rigged' data claims. Economists say it cost the economy $20 billion

SCOTUS’ Narrow Protection of the Fed Means Cook, and Fed Independence, Still at Risk

Talking Points Memo
In light of a recent Supreme Court decision, Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, comments on likely changes to employment criteria for leadership at federal agencies, such as Bureau of Labor Statistics, and how that might make those jobs less attractive.
SCOTUS’ Narrow Protection of the Fed Means Cook, and Fed Independence, Still at Risk

Groshen Named Statistical Advocate of the Year

For her transformative role in conveying the importance of high-quality federal statistics to legislators, journalists and the public, Erica Groshen, senior economics advisor, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Harry V. Roberts Statistical Advocate of the Year Award, presented by the American Statistical Association.
Erica Groshen
Groshen Named Statistical Advocate of the Year

Data: you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone

Financial Times
Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor, co-authored a working paper assessing the economic impact of undermining official statistics.
Data: you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone

Cornell economist warns attacks on federal data could carry steep economic consequences

FingerLakes1.com
Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor, co-authored a working paper revealing substantial economic damage linked to diminished trust in federal statistics; “when trust in government statistics is eroded, this is the cost of people flying blind,” said Groshen.
Cornell economist warns attacks on federal data could carry steep economic consequences

Businesses, Investors ‘Flying Blind’ When Trust in Government Statistics Declines

Cornell Chronicle
Even a temporary loss of trust in official data may be costly, with an economic impact many times the budgets of the agencies that report key indicators, according to Erica Groshen, senior labor market adviser at the ILR School.
Sheet of paper with an unemployment and inflation graph
Businesses, Investors ‘Flying Blind’ When Trust in Government Statistics Declines

Bad government statistics can cost the economy billions

The Economist
Preserving trust in “the integrity and quality of official statistics” generates economic benefits of about $25 for every $1 spent on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says a working paper co-written by Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner.
Bad government statistics can cost the economy billions

America’s Go-To Autism Therapy Is Also the Most Controversial

Bloomberg
Reasons why leveraged buyouts of autism services providers may not be profitable are explained by Rosemary Batt, ILR professor of women and work emerita.
America’s Go-To Autism Therapy Is Also the Most Controversial

Dispatches From Trump’s War on Information

The American Prospect
Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, comments on past instances of pre-release bureau data being shared and on the importance of trust to the bureau’s data collection and processing efforts.
Dispatches From Trump’s War on Information

When pay transparency isn’t so transparent

Marketplace
On this audio broadcast, ILR Assistant Professor Alice Lee discusses how including a wide salary range in a job posting tends to affect women’s job seeking and negotiation behavior.
When pay transparency isn’t so transparent

Trump’s New Data Chief Will Face Intense Scrutiny and a Shrunken Workforce

Bloomberg
Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, provides insight on the agency’s challenges and staffing constraints.
Trump’s New Data Chief Will Face Intense Scrutiny and a Shrunken Workforce

Cayuga Medical nurses overwhelmingly voted to unionize: Why this matters to us

The Ithaca Voice
In this op-ed, Rosemary Batt, ILR professor emerita, describes the benefits – to patients, nurses and health care systems – that nurses’ unions generally bring about and discusses benefits that could result from the recent unionization of nurses at Cayuga Medical Center. Batt also references data from ILR’s Labor Action Tracker.
Cayuga Medical nurses overwhelmingly voted to unionize: Why this matters to us

Research: Posting a Wide Salary Range Can Deter Women from Applying

Harvard Business Review
ILR Assistant Professor Alice Lee shares research findings that wide salary ranges in job postings can unintentionally perpetuate gender pay gaps.
Research: Posting a Wide Salary Range Can Deter Women from Applying

All Things Equal 2-24-26

607 News Now
In this radio interview, Diane Burton, ILR senior associate dean for research, outreach and external relations, explains the founding mission of the ILR School, why the ILR School is distinctly different from a typical business school, and what the ILR School’s outreach programs look like today.
All Things Equal 2-24-26

What’s behind the US job numbers?

BBC Sounds
Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor, analyzes the recent U.S. jobs report, noting growth in health care and construction and losses in government. Groshen also points out that changes in the tax structure for investments may influence upcoming jobs reports and comments on interest rates.
What’s behind the US job numbers?

The first jobs report of 2026 is coming out Wednesday. It could be a doozy

CNN
Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, explains how the bureau’s “benchmarking” process adjusts past employment data to improve its accuracy.
The first jobs report of 2026 is coming out Wednesday. It could be a doozy

Trump’s BLS Pick to Contend With Leadership Vacuum, Staff Losses

Bloomberg Law
Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, provides expert insight on the bureau’s staffing and leadership challenges and shares a favorable opinion of Brett Matsumoto, who was recently nominated to become the bureau’s commissioner.
Trump’s BLS Pick to Contend With Leadership Vacuum, Staff Losses

No Company Has Admitted to Replacing Workers with AI in New York

Wired
Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor, says New York’s effort to track AI-related layoffs is a start, but suggests that employers be required to share richer data on changing skills and occupations so workers and society can more easily navigate transitions.
No Company Has Admitted to Replacing Workers with AI in New York

Economic Experts Skeptical Trump Fed Chair Pick Will Be Free from Political Influence

Talking Points Memo
“If you had a chair who was very politically motivated and the rest of the committee was not, then you might have more turmoil within the committee than we’d normally see,” said Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor, about the chair of the Federal Reserve Board.
Economic Experts Skeptical Trump Fed Chair Pick Will Be Free from Political Influence

“Labor in New York in 2026” Presented in Albany

Experts from the ILR School met with Senator Jessica Ramos and Assemblymember Harry B. Bronson, New York State Chairs of the Committee on Labor, to discuss the current state of labor in New York.
Esta Bigler presents to Senator Jessica Ramos and Assemblymember Harry B. Bronson in Albany.
“Labor in New York in 2026” Presented in Albany

US January employment report will be delayed because of partial government shutdown

Reuters
Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, predicts that the bureau will “work very hard to make sure quality is preserved,” despite the current partial government shutdown.
US January employment report will be delayed because of partial government shutdown

Trump Plans to Nominate Brett Matsumoto to Head BLS, Report Says

MSN
“On the face of it, I’d say he’s quite a reasonable candidate,” said Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, when asked about the nomination of Brett Matsumoto to be the new commissioner of the bureau.
Trump Plans to Nominate Brett Matsumoto to Head BLS, Report Says

Trump Names ‘Data Nerd’ to Lead Labor Statistics Agency

The New York Times
Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, supports the nomination of Brett Matsumoto to be the new commissioner of the bureau.
Trump Names ‘Data Nerd’ to Lead Labor Statistics Agency

Trump brushes off early posting of confidential jobs figures

AP News
Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, describes penalties for early disclosure of the bureau’s jobs data and how previous breaches have been handled.
Trump brushes off early posting of confidential jobs figures

Musk wins appeal that restores 2018 Tesla pay deal now worth about $139 billion

Reuters
Brian Dunn, director of the Institute for Compensation Studies at ILR, provides analysis on the Delaware Supreme Court’s ruling concerning Elon Musk’s Tesla pay package and the implications for shareholder versus court authority.
Musk wins appeal that restores 2018 Tesla pay deal now worth about $139 billion

Speed Vs. Accuracy of US Jobs Data Rekindled After Shutdown

Bloomberg
“With any program that has revisions, it’s because you’re trying to balance timeliness with accuracy,” said Erica Groshen, ILR senior labor market advisor and former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, about the bureau’s approach to gathering and reporting payroll data from employers.
Speed Vs. Accuracy of US Jobs Data Rekindled After Shutdown

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