The second Seasonal Adjustment Practitioners Workshop was held April 26 in the Janet Norwood Conference and Training Center at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This one-day workshop emphasized practical problem-solving in seasonal adjustment and related time series methods. More than 65 people attended.
Many of the workshop attendees mentioned they were grateful for the topical forum and emerging network of experts in the area. The workshop was jointly sponsored by the Government Statistics Section (GSS), Business and Economic Statistics Section (B&E), and Washington Statistical Society (WSS). This shared sponsorship directly supports the ASA Strategic Plan theme to “ensure the future of our profession” via “organizational leadership development.”
The program featured opening remarks by Brian Monsell, representing the workshop organizers. Jenny Thompson (GSS and WSS) and John Abowd (B&E) made a few additional welcoming remarks, emphasizing the ASA’s support in general and the sections’ support in particular.
Ataman Ozyildirim of The Conference Board gave the keynote address. His presentation, “To Adjust or Not to Adjust: A User’s Perspective on Analysis of Economic Trends with Seasonal Data,” covered the benefits and limitations of seasonal adjustment in identifying and forecasting economic activity.
Brent Moulton, recently retired from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, followed as discussant, highlighting issues such as residual seasonality—a concern that fosters continuing research.
The workshop then broke out into concurrent sessions. The speakers for the 18 presentations came from four countries and represented the private sector and the realm of official statistics, including three US government agencies.
Papers and presentations from the workshop will be available through the GSS.
Planning is underway for a third workshop in late 2019. To be involved in planning and organizing, contact the team.
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