There is now a timeline for when Americans may see the September jobs report amid the government shutdown, according to the Trump administration.
"I hope that the Democrats understand as soon as they open this government, we want to get these numbers out so that we can determine what this market looks like, and we can work hard again to fulfill the needs of the American people," Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said on "Mornings with Maria" Friday, the same day the jobs report had been scheduled for release.
"We want to make sure this government gets open, we release these numbers and then we make the changes that are necessary to get the economy growing," she continued. "And work with our small businesses across the country … We need this government open."
The partial government shutdown prevented the Labor Department from releasing the September jobs report, prompting analysts to look to alternative sources to gauge labor market conditions.
Economists polled by LSEG expected the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ September report to show the economy added about 50,000 jobs.
That would continue a trend of weaker reports in recent months: August initially showed 22,000 jobs added; the first revision of July showed 79,000 jobs gained; and the final June revision reported a loss of 13,000.
Despite the lack of official data, Chavez-DeRemer offered her view of where the job market stands.
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"We have to upskill and reskill. We've heard more than once that we're short of our welders, our construction workers. It's important that we have those tradesmen and women building this country. That’s what the president laid the groundwork [for] with a lot of these trade deals. And to see the investments that these companies are making — trillions of dollars — now be stopped, that's the unfortunate part," Chavez-DeRemer said.
"We're going to need some more of those Democrats to answer the call of the American people so that we can grow these numbers," Chevez-DeRemer added. "We're talking about 300,000 to 500,000 electricians. We need to build these manufacturing centers. We need to make sure that we're answering the call of the American people, and that is not what's happening today … And it's all on the shoulders of the Democrats."
FOX Business' Eric Revell contributed to this report.
