The LMI Insider – October 2025

LMI Insider
|

 
<!–
<!– <!–

October 2025
<!–
<!–

Welcome to LMI Insider –

A Publication of the Labor Market Information Institute
<!–
<!–

Features
<!–
<!–

Another Successful PMP Summit!
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2025 Projections Managing Partnership (PMP) Summit last month, either face-to-face in Austin or virtually via Zoom. Over 100 projections staff representing 47 states joined for two-and-a-half days of networking, dialogue, and learning. This included updates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and staff in their Employment Projections program, both on the newest national projections as well as their work assessing and accounting for the evolving impacts of AI on the workforce.
<!–
<!–

The Utah Information Technology Division also provided updates on improvements to the Projections Suite software, such as a new and improved “Expert Review” module. Other presenters showcased their projections products, described efforts to replicate national BLS methods at the state level, shared approaches for handling sub-state area changes, and highlighted uses of R in streamlining the projections process. We are grateful to all those who presented!
<!–
<!–

All session recordings and presentation materials are available through the conference app and will soon be published on the PMP Training website. Keep an eye out here and on ULMITA for more information about the 2026 PMP Summit.

We hope to see you there!
<!–
<!–

Federal Updates
<!–
<!–

Government Shutdown and Data
<!–
<!–

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Employment Situation report, typically released on the first Friday of every month, was not published on Friday, October 3rd due to the government shutdown. According to the Department of Labor’s shutdown plan, BLS was required to immediately cease all operations other than systems backups.
<!–
<!–

While the BLS Commissioner, a Presidential Appointee, is the only exempt employee at the agency, the Administration withdrew the nomination of E.J. Antoni to the position prior to the shutdown, and it remains open (with William Wiatrowski serving in an acting capacity). In addition to halting any website updates or data collection, the shutdown will prevent/delay scheduled releases of economic data. BLS announced that the release of September Consumer Price Index (CPI) data will be delayed from October 15th to October 24th. CPI data collection for October will still be impacted, however, potentially also causing distortions in November’s data (Reuters).
<!–
<!–

Upcoming Events, Trainings, and Webinars
<!–
<!–

Data User Roundtable: AI in LMI

October 29, 2025

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET

Online Only
<!– <!–

From Raw Data to Regional Insights: Intermediate R Tools for Workforce & Economic Development

November 19 – 20, 2025

Arlington, VA
<!– <!–

LMI Institute and C2ER Conference

June 17 – 20, 2026

Memphis, Tennessee
<!–
<!–

Insider View – Be in the Know
<!–
<!–

Data Insights Roundtable: AI in LMI
<!–
<!–

Join us Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at 11:00 AM ET, for the last Data Insights Roundtable of the year! In this Roundtable, a panel of LMI staff from three different states—Jeff DeBellis (North Carolina), Nicol Nicola (New Jersey), and Gary Sincick (Oregon)—will discuss how their LMI shops are dealing with the rise of AI, both in terms of how they are using it to understand data and create tools, as well as the policies and best practices they have established around its use. We hope to see you there!
<!–
<!–

Featured Reports and Tools
<!–
<!–

Montana
<!–
<!–

In July, 2025 Montana released a report on their non-working population. In it they examined the characteristics of 350,000+ Montanans over the age of 16 who are neither working nor actively looking for work. While most of these people are retirees, the report gives Montana’s Department of Labor and Industry data on how to get more Montanans involved in their workforce and perennially tight job market.
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–

California
<!–
<!–

Our most recent Data Insights Roundtable was about California’s Workforce Supply and Demand Dashboard. In this newsletter, we also wanted to highlight California’s Earn and Learn Occupations Dashboard. This tool provides data on middle-skill occupations that pay 80% or more of the local area’s median wage, including annual openings for these occupations in specific regions. The dashboard provides an option to download the data in Excel format for researchers who want to explore further.
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–

Does your state have a projections dashboard?

Share it with us! We’d love to see it and feature it in the monthly LMI Insider.
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–

We welcome your feedback on this edition, and for content suggestions in future editions, of The LMI Insider. Please direct comments, questions, or for more information on the LMI Institute to Marty Romitti, CREC Senior Vice President, at mromitti@crec.net
<!–
<!–

To subscribe to the C2ER/LMI Weekly Updates click here
<!–