After the release of revised job growth figures, which showed 818,000 fewer jobs for the 12-month period ending in March 2024 than previously reported by the Biden-Harris administration, 2024 GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump strongly criticized the administration, warning that if “Comrade Kamala” were to secure another four years, it would spell disaster for the U.S. economy—much like he claims has already occurred under the Biden-Harris term.
“MASSIVE SCANDAL! The Harris-Biden Administration has been caught fraudulently manipulating job statistics to hide the true extent of the economic ruin they have inflicted upon America,” Trump wrote. “New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the administration PADDED THE NUMBERS with an extra 818,000 jobs that DO NOT EXIST, AND NEVER DID.”
Trump continued, “The real numbers are much worse, and if Comrade Kamala gets another four years, millions more jobs will VANISH overnight, and inflation will completely destroy our country. YOUR LIFE SAVINGS WILL BE WIPED OUT. With a TRUMP VICTORY, we will once again have the Greatest Economy in History. MAGA2024!”
Originally, total employment growth from March 2023 to March 2024 was estimated at 2.9 million jobs. With the revision, average monthly job growth dropped from 242,000 to around 174,000, totaling approximately 2.1 million jobs—a -0.5 percent revision, marking the largest adjustment since 2009.
This update was part of a scheduled benchmark revision, where the government uses more precise quarterly unemployment claim data to recalibrate its figures, compared to the monthly surveys of employers initially used.
The professional and business services sector experienced the largest downward revision, with a reduction of 358,000 jobs. The leisure and hospitality sector was revised down by 150,000, manufacturing by 115,000, and trade, transportation, and utilities by 104,000.