About the Friends of BLS

The American Statistical Association (AmStat), Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC), Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS), and the National Association of Business Economics (NABE) have partnered with other organizations to establish a “Friends of the Bureau of Labor Statistics” group.

The Friends of BLS will not take positions on particular programs or surveys of the BLS, focusing instead on the agency’s overall fiscal well-being. Membership in the Friends of BLS does not prevent an organization or individual from taking positions on specific programs, but the Friends group will put its imprimatur on activities toward the greater public good value of the agency, with any positions formed by overall group consensus.

The objectives of the Friends of BLS group are to:

• Create a network of users of BLS data and information to facilitate the distribution of information, opinions, and ideas about BLS among users;

• Act as a reservoir of individuals and organizations who could participate in seminars and other educational events for the public and for public policy decision makers about the utility and overall value of BLS programs; and

• Support the BLS as an institution that provides critical data and tools to a wide variety of users for a wide variety of purposes.The Friends of the BLS is not sanctioned by nor does it receive any support from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is completely independent of the BLS and BLS leadership.
  

  Note: The Friends of the BLS is not sanctioned by nor does it receive any support from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is completely independent of the BLS and BLS leadership.