Original article by Gary Morgan, Executive Chairman of Roy Morgan, Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan, Julian McCrann, Morgan Poll Manager
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 3-Apr-24

This week Claire Jones from the Financial Times (in the AFR) highlighted the unreliability of employment data being compiled by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the UK and Statcan in Canada since the onset of the pandemic. The rapid levels of immigration to countries including the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, as well as the rapid changes to working conditions throughout the pandemic and in the years since, have created many issues with how government statisticians measure employment markets. In addition, respondents in these countries have become less likely to complete labour force surveys and response rates to calls from unknown phone numbers have plunged. All these factors are degrading the reliability of the official data. These same factors are impacting the official Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) jobs data relied upon by the Federal Government, Reserve Bank, and other Government institutions, to make important policy decisions. In Australia, where there’s been a rapid level of immigration, Roy Morgan data has consistently shown the ABS is significantly understating the real level of unemployment and under-employment in Australia – as is the case in overseas jurisdictions as well.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, UNITED STATES. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, GREAT BRITAIN. OFFICE FOR NATIONAL STATISTICS, CANADA. STATCAN, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA