OEWS Rolling Sample Methodology

The OEWS survey combines six panels of data collected over three years to produce each annual estimate. This means any single release reflects labor market conditions averaged across a 36-month window, not a point-in-time snapshot.

The practical implication: OEWS estimates lag rapid market shifts. The May 2020 release, for instance, combined data from November 2017 through May 2020, so early pandemic effects were diluted by two years of pre-pandemic observations.

This matters when the question is “what’s happening now” versus “what’s the structural baseline.” OEWS is better suited to the latter.

Related:, 00-source—bls-oews