Editorial: Canada's data debacle
Statistics Canada has endured a rough ride under federal Conservative rule, and the past week’s turbulence will do little to settle the stomachs of the remaining employees of what used to be a highly respected organization (nor that of anyone who believes good data is the foundation of good policy).
Last Friday, the agency’s Labour Force Survey revealed that the country had created but 200 jobs in July, or about 1/100th of previous estimates. Something was clearly up. Lo and behold, StatsCan on Tuesday pulled the numbers and this Friday released the new count: 42,000 new jobs, along with an explanation that human error related to a system change was to blame for the discrepancy. Wrote Scotiabank vice-president of economics Derek Holt in the aftermath: “In my over two decades of experience in this business I struggle to think of a comparable foul-up anywhere in the world.”
Indeed, the Labour Force Survey is one of the agency’s most important reports, able to move currencies and markets and potentially cost (or make) people a lot of money. Volatile as it is, it’s expected to at least give a semi-realistic picture of what’s going on out there in the job market.
Read more: http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/editorial-canadas-data-debacle
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