Method Innovations

BLS constantly seeks new techniques to improve the quality of the data that jobseekers, workers, businesses, policymakers, researchers, and educators use to understand the U.S. economy. The Office of Survey Methods Research plans and directs activities for evaluating and improving BLS programs and conducts primary research on statistical and behavioral science issues. Innovation in improvements to the accuracy of our estimation methods are part of our work.

All BLS programs have a Methods menu at the top of their webpages. Many programs also track changes to their method improvements and related research efforts and improvements.

Examples of innovation include improving questionnaire design, imputation, cloud computing, machine learning, and much more. You can find examples of innovation in the table below.

Method Innovations at BLS
Method Topic	Examples
Questionnaire design	Consumer Expenditure Surveys Redesign: Streamlined questionnaire phase 1 instrument changes Occupational Requirements Survey: Third wave testing report What is Gained by Asking Retrospective Probes after an Online, Think-Aloud Cognitive Interview?
Missing data and imputation	Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Consumer Price Index
Machine learning	Automated coding of injury and illness data Autocoding open-ended text into item codes in the Consumer Expenditure Diary Survey (PDF)
Small area estimation	Implementation of new small area model for State and Metro area Employment, Hours, & Earnings New method for estimating labor composition for Total Factor Productivity measurement Response Model Selection in Small Area Estimation Under Not Missing Random Nonresponse
Volatility	Why are Measures of Aggregate Hours Worked by the Unincorporated Self-employed So Volatile?
Expanding or improving measures	Change to data source for Import and Export Price Indexes Developing intercensal statewide population controls for labor force estimates Improving estimates of hours worked for U.S. productivity measurement Providing easier access to Consumer Price Index seasonal factors, relative importance, and median standard error Building a comprehensive consumption measure

Variance Estimation	Introduced Consumer Expenditure Variance Estimation

Last modified date: August 28, 2026