Dr. Erika McEntarfer, Commissioner

Dr. Erika McEntarfer became the 16th Commissioner of Labor Statistics on January 29, 2024. She was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden on July 12, 2023, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 11, 2024.

Dr. McEntarfer is a labor economist who has served over 20 years in federal government, with positions at the U.S. Census Bureau, the Executive Office of the President, and the Department of Treasury. At the U.S. Census Bureau, she was the head of research for the Longitudinal Employer–Household Dynamics program, using linked employer–employee data to develop new labor market statistics and improve Census surveys and operations. Prior to joining BLS, she was a senior economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisors, where she advised White House officials on the labor market recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her research has focused on the consequences of job loss, wage rigidity, and the interactions between firms and workers in the economy. Her work has been published in the Journal of Labor Economics, American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, and the Journal of Economic Perspectives. She has a bachelor’s degree in social science from Bard College and a Ph.D. in economics from Virginia Tech.