US President Donald Trump has withdrawn his nomination of conservative economist EJ Antoni as head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The nomination came shortly after Trump fired BLS chief Erika McEntarfer in August, midway through her term, following a weak jobs report.
Trump’s decision to nominate Dr Antoni as the new commissioner of the BLS was praised by conservatives but some independent economists said he was not qualified for the job.
A White House official said the president will nominate a new candidate for the role soon.
The official told the BBC: “Dr EJ Antoni is a brilliant economist and an American patriot that will continue to do good work on behalf of our great country.
“President Trump is committed to fixing the longstanding failures at the BLS that have undermined the public’s trust in critical economic data.”
The US Senate, which is controlled by Trump’s fellow Republicans, will have to confirm the appointment.
The BBC has contacted the BLS and Mr Antoni for comment.
