The government isn't going to fudge the monthly employment report, right?

In other words, why would the regime benefit from making the economy appear much stronger than it actually is?

As it turns out, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has “revised” all monthly employment reports starting in 2023. And as a result of these “adjustments,” the overall number of jobs created in 2023 decreased by nearly 500,000, for a total of nearly 500,000 fewer people. 439,000 jobs That never actually happened. Here's how it works:

First, the monthly employment statistics showed higher-than-expected numbers. Everyone reacts. The White House issued a self-congratulatory statement. Financial markets celebrate this. Subsequent months will then include a small item indicating that your previous job's report has been adjusted downward.

The latest jobs report showed the economy created an unexpectedly high 216,000 jobs, but includes a “revision” for the previous month, meaning the number of jobs created that month was originally This was a decrease of 71,000 people, one-fifth of the reported total.

Imagine if your accountant came to you every month and said, “Oh, my income has actually decreased by 20% in the last few months.” And these downward revisions were made at the height of the Christmas employment season, meaning the Christmas job market was the weakest in decades.

Those of us in the small and medium-sized “freedom economy” have known this for months. Our monthly survey of more than 70,000 Freedom Economy small businesses found that these owners are putting new hires on hold and struggling.

And our research here at Red Balloon shows that without the pandemic and government shutdown, the U.S. economy would have added 4 million jobs.

This is despite the White House's daily insistence that the economy is strong.

But there is one area where employment is booming. It's the government. In fact, new government jobs now account for a quarter of the jobs created last year.What kind of free market economy is it when the government accounts for 25 percent of the jobs and the other 75 percent have to work overtime to pay taxes to support government jobs?It's not as “free” as we thought.

Why would a troubled administration strategize on job numbers coming in an election year? Well, this wouldn't be the first ironclad precedent to be broken.

That's why last year, we partnered with Public Square to launch the Freedom Economy Index, a monthly survey of 70,000 small businesses. So far, the results have been spot on in predicting future economic activity.

Small businesses say they put the brakes on hiring new employees in midsummer. Since then, they have been holding their cards and waiting to see if stability emerges in the economy, especially regarding inflation.

Additionally, small businesses report that inflation continues to hurt their businesses and customers, despite government figures to the contrary. Supplier prices continue to soar, and many businesses aren't even sure they can survive another six months.

In the latest survey, 70% of these small businesses report that their employees are falling behind financially in this economy. That's a grim statistic.

This situation forces small businesses to squeeze waste out of every aspect of their business. At RedBalloon, we've seen a surge in employers seeking candidates who better align with their company culture and mission. They can't afford to hire bad people on their payroll. There is no room for error.

The bottom line is that businesses need reliable, accurate data to make critical decisions. Government numbers were the most important standard, but like so many other norms shattered by this administration, they must now be treated with a high degree of skepticism.

And with the accuracy of data analysis becoming more important than ever, the future of America's small business community may be at risk.

Andrew Klapshetz is the founder and CEO of Red Balloon, founded in 2021 as a solution to the growing problem of government overreach and the “cancel culture” that pervades American workplaces.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.