What You Need to Know: California will delay the release of its September 2025 employment data, originally scheduled for October 17, due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. The State’s labor market estimates rely on data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, which has suspended operations during the shutdown. The Employment Development Department will publish the data after federal systems resume.
SACRAMENTO — The Employment Development Department (EDD) announced today that the release of the State’s September 2025 employment data, originally scheduled for October 17, 2025, will be delayed due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
California’s monthly labor market information is produced in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Because many federal statistical activities have been suspended during the shutdown, including key surveys that help inform monthly estimates, states are not able to perform their own assessments and publish this month’s employment reports.
How California’s Labor Market Data Are Produced
Each month, EDD and the BLS work together to develop official estimates of employment and unemployment across California. These estimates come from two major surveys:
- Establishment Survey: A sample of California businesses provides information used to estimate the total number of jobs in the economy, also known as the Current Employment Statistics program.
- Household Survey: A sample of Californians provides data to estimate how many people and the demographic characteristics of the employed or unemployed, also known as the Current Population Survey.
The BLS conducts these surveys and works closely with EDD’s Labor Market Information (LMI) experts to incorporate state-level insights. California’s LMI experts provide state-level economic context such as unemployment claim counts, state hiring data, seasonal factors, strikes, disasters, and other state-specific economic factors. EDD also develops the estimates for smaller counties across the state.
The U.S. Department of Labor surveys businesses and households during the week that includes the 12th day of each month. Additional survey data, such as government employment data, arrives later in the month. Each month’s estimates also include revisions to the previous month’s estimate based on the additional data.
Once a year, EDD’s LMI experts conduct an extensive revision to the estimates of the monthly labor force and employment by industry data called a “Benchmark.” These revisions incorporate actual data from detailed state tax records to update and validate the initial survey-based estimates.
Accessing Labor Market Resources
To learn more about how labor market data are developed and maintained, visit the following EDD resources:
- About Labor Force and Unemployment Data
- Methodology for Generating Labor Force Data
- Methodology for Generating Industry Employment Data
- Frequently Asked Questions about Labor Market Data
EDD will publish employment data as soon as BLS operations resume and federal data become available. The Department will announce the anticipated date that data will be released as soon as it’s finalized.