The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics will publish the September employment report on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, nearly seven weeks later than its normal schedule after a federal government shutdown furloughed staff who finalize the data. The release covers payroll gains, layoffs and the unemployment rate for September; officials say the underlying data were largely collected before the shutdown, which should allow the report to appear quickly next week. Several other time-sensitive economic releases—including October payrolls and inflation readings, as well as consumer spending and GDP updates—remain delayed because the government must complete surveys and price checks. Markets, businesses and policymakers have been operating with gaps in official data and will be watching the BLS release closely for fresh signals about the economy.
Key takeaways
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics has scheduled the September jobs report for Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, almost seven weeks late from its customary early-October release.
- The September report will include payroll changes, the unemployment rate and layoff estimates; labor economists say much of the input data were already collected prior to the shutdown.
- October jobs, October inflation (CPI), consumer spending and GDP reports remain postponed because field surveys and price checks were interrupted.
- Officials at the Department of Labor and BLS have promised an updated release calendar for other economic series as soon as practical.
- The delay has increased short-term uncertainty for investors and policymakers, complicating near-term readings of labor market strength.
Background
Under ordinary operations the BLS issues the monthly employment situation report on the first Friday of each month for the prior month, a schedule closely watched by markets, businesses and federal agencies. The recent federal shutdown furloughed many government employees, including economists and analysts who compile and finalize key economic indicators, interrupting that cadence. The September data had been collected in field surveys and business reports before the shutdown, but the final processing steps were halted when staff were sent home. Past episodes of shutdown-related delays have shown that some reports can be published quickly when raw data are available, while others require additional fieldwork and timing adjustments.
Federal agencies including the Department of Labor and the BLS are responsible for a wide set of economic releases—employment, inflation, consumer spending and gross domestic product among them—that feed into business planning and policymaking. Private-sector forecasters and financial markets rely on those releases to update models and price risk; prolonged absence of official data forces greater dependence on partial substitutes such as private payroll surveys. Stakeholders from small businesses to the Federal Reserve have noted the practical challenges created by postponed statistics, and agencies say they will publish revised timetables so users can plan around the backlog.
Main event
The Labor Department announced the September jobs report would be posted next Thursday after government economists confirmed the final processing can resume. Agency statements indicate that most of the underlying survey responses and administrative records for September were gathered before the shutdown began, limiting the extent of additional fieldwork required. The BLS also posted a short notice thanking the public for patience and saying it will publish an updated schedule for other delayed releases. Officials emphasized that while the September report can move forward rapidly, reports that need fresh surveys or price collection—for example, October inflation—cannot be released until staff finish that work.
In practical terms the September report should provide immediate information on payroll growth and the unemployment rate for that month, but it will be released after a substantial lag. That timing means readers and analysts will be comparing the newly published September statistics with partial or missing official information for the intervening weeks. The agency has not yet provided firm dates for the next round of reports; instead it says it will update timelines as teams return and complete required quality checks. For economic actors that need regular updates, the patchwork calendar will mean continued caution in near-term planning.
Analysis & implications
The immediate release of September data will reduce one source of uncertainty by restoring a critical monthly snapshot of hiring and layoffs, but the lag diminishes its real-time usefulness. Policymakers, including the Federal Reserve, use recent labor market information when assessing the appropriate stance for monetary policy; a delayed series forces reliance on higher-frequency private indicators and could complicate assessments of whether job growth is cooling. Market participants will interpret the report not only for its headline payroll and unemployment figures but also for details such as hours worked, wage gains and industry-level hiring, which help distinguish temporary volatility from trend changes.
For businesses and households, the delay has practical consequences: hiring plans, wage negotiations and budgeting often reference the most recent official employment data. A seven-week gap means firms and workers may have made decisions without full visibility into labor market shifts that occurred in September. Economic forecasts for fourth-quarter output and employment growth will need to be adjusted once the historical record is updated, and analysts will be attentive to revisions that can occur when backlogged processing is completed.
Internationally, postponed U.S. data create spillover effects because global investors use U.S. macro statistics to calibrate risk across markets. A compressed stream of releases concentrated into a short window could heighten volatility around those publication dates. In policy terms, agencies face a balancing act between publishing timely data and ensuring the quality and accuracy of statistics—rushing backlogged releases carries a risk of errors, while further delay prolongs uncertainty.
Comparison & data
| Report | Normal Schedule | Current Status |
|---|---|---|
| September Employment Situation | Early Oct. 2025 | Scheduled for Nov. 20, 2025 (≈7 weeks late) |
| October Jobs & CPI | Early Nov. 2025 | Pending — surveys/price checks required |
| Consumer Spending & GDP | Monthly/quarterly cadence | Overdue — timing to be announced |
The table above summarizes the most affected releases. While the September employment report can move forward because its primary inputs were already collected, other series require additional collection or verification. That difference explains why some reports can be published quickly and others remain on hold. Analysts will watch the BLS calendar update to understand the timing risk for future releases and to plan when to expect a return to a normal reporting rhythm.
Reactions & quotes
“We will release the September employment report next Thursday and will post an updated schedule for other releases as soon as possible,”
Bureau of Labor Statistics (official notice)
“The data backlog reflects operational interruptions from the shutdown; where raw inputs exist, agency staff can accelerate publication,”
U.S. Department of Labor (statement)
“Markets and policymakers will treat the coming release as important but will also scrutinize the timing and any subsequent revisions closely,”
Market analysts (financial firms, paraphrase)
Unconfirmed
- The precise timetable for releasing October jobs and inflation data has not been announced and remains subject to operational capacity and quality checks.
- It is not yet clear whether backlogged releases will be spaced out or published in a condensed sequence; officials have only promised updates to the schedule.
- Any potential revisions to previously released series related to processing interruptions have not been detailed by the agencies.
Bottom line
The immediate publication of the September jobs report on Nov. 20, 2025, will restore an important datapoint for assessing labor market conditions, but it arrives after a meaningful lag that reduces its value as a real-time indicator. Policymakers and market participants will incorporate the report into a broader set of high-frequency indicators while awaiting official releases for October and subsequent months. The backlog underscores the vulnerability of economic statistics to operational disruptions and highlights the importance of timely publication for decision-making in government, business and finance.
Users should watch for the BLS schedule update, evaluate the September figures alongside available private indicators, and expect potential volatility around the time the delayed releases appear. Restoring a regular, reliable release calendar will be a priority for both statistical agencies and data users as the government works to clear the backlog and resume normal publishing rhythms.
Sources
- NPR — media report summarizing agency announcements (news)
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — official agency site and release calendar (official)
- U.S. Department of Labor — departmental news and statements (official)