What???s In A Number?: Explaining the Divergent Trends in the Employment Measures from the Current Establishment Survey and the Current Population Survey

here are two principal sources of employment data in the economy: the Current Establishment Survey, and the Current Population Survey. Both surveys measure employment at the national level and the state level, albeit via different collection methods. The trouble is, they do not agree. This paper examines the differences between the surveys and offers explanations for their divergent trends