Several members of Congress are pushing the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to incorporate nonprofit workforce data into the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program instead of every five years, as is the current practice. This data is important to public officials and nonprofits for a multitude of purposes, including service planning, workforce projections, economic research, and policymaking. If successful, this would place nonprofit jobs on equal footing as for-profit and public sector jobs.
The effort is being led by Rhode Island Congressman Seth Magaziner and Senator Jack Reed and initiated by the United Way of Rhode Island. The pair have circulated a letter for members of Congress to sign onto. The letter, addressed to members of the appropriations committee, requests $8 million for the bureau to be able to include nonprofit data in its quarterly report.
NAO is encouraging Oregon’s congressional delegation to sign the letter. As of this writing, Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer, District 5, has signed onto the letter.