[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 221 (Wednesday, November 18, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59585-59586]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-27697]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of the Secretary
Submission for OMB Emergency Review: Comment Request
November 12, 2009.
The Department of Labor has submitted the following information
collection request (ICR), utilizing emergency review procedures, to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44
U.S.C. Chapter 35) and 5 CFR 1320.13. OMB approval has been requested
by November 23, 2009. A copy of this ICR, with applicable supporting
documentation; including among other things a description of the likely
respondents, proposed frequency of response, and estimated total burden
may be obtained from the RegInfo.gov Web site at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain or by contacting Darrin King on 202-
693-4129 (this is not a toll-free number)/e-mail: [email protected]. Interested parties are encouraged to send comments to
the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk
Officer for the Department of Labor--ETA, Office of Management and
Budget, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, Telephone: 202-395-7316/Fax:
202-395-5806 (these are not toll-free numbers), E-mail: [email protected]. Comments and questions about the ICR listed
below should be received 5 days prior to the requested OMB approval
date.
The OMB is particularly interested in comments which:
Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
Enhance the quality, utility, and clarify of the
information to be collected; and
Minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submissions of responses.
Agency: Employment and Training Administration.
Title of Collection: Jobs for America's Job Seekers Challenge.
OMB Control Number: Pending.
Frequency of Collection: This is a one-time data collection.
Affected Public: State Workforce Agencies, businesses, non-profit
organizations, other State government entities, workforce investment
boards, One Stop Career Center staff, and the public.
Estimated Time per Respondent: A maximum of 10 minutes per Phase
One respondent, of whom 1,000 are estimated to respond. For Phase Two,
a maximum of 10,000 respondents are estimated (crowdsourcing portion)
at 10
[[Page 59586]]
minutes total for an estimated rating of two tools each.
Total Estimated Number of Respondents: A maximum of 11,000
respondents are expected.
Total Estimated Annualized Burden Hours: 1,833 hours.
Total Estimated Annualized Cost Burden: $0.
Description:
The U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment and Training
Administration (ETA), in conjunction with the White House and
IdeaScale, is launching the Jobs for America's Job Seekers Challenge.
Using an online platform designed by IdeaScale, the Challenge will
allow toolmakers and developers to present their free online job tools
to workforce development experts and jobseekers for discussion, rating,
and voting. The tools that receive the most votes will be shared
broadly with the workforce investment system and jobseekers, and listed
on government Web sites like http://www.CareerOneStop.org, http://www.Workforce3One.org, and http://www.DOLETA.gov. This is not an
opportunity to apply for government funding and ETA will not make any
funds available to any party pursuant to this announcement.
The Challenge will consist of three phases. Phase 1 will run from
November 30, 2009 to December 18, 2009. In this phase, toolmakers and
developers will submit information on their free online job search and
job matching tools. These tools must be free to the job seeker, but can
be licensed by the workforce system at the State or local level
provided the companies offer a short-term demo or other platform that
allows the tools to be reviewed free of charge. Submissions will be
accepted from businesses, nonprofits organizations, entrepreneurs, and
State and local workforce agencies. The tools will be organized into
one or more of the following categories:
General job boards, listing sites, and aggregators
Niche job boards
Career advancement tools
Web based career exploration sites
Web 2.0/social media sites specializing in job searches or
job postings
Other job tools
Phase 2 will run from January 4 to January 15, 2010. During this
phase, workforce development experts and job seekers will review and
vote on the submitted job search and matching tools. Reviewers will be
encouraged to consider a tool's usability based on how effective the
tool is in providing accurate results, how efficient it is in
completing job search and matching tasks in a reasonable amount of
time, and the level of satisfaction the user felt.
Phase 3 will begin on January 18, 2010. In this final phase, DOL,
ETA, and the White House will communicate the top tools in each
category with the entire workforce development community and job
seekers through a variety of mediums, including:
(1) Posting an announcement of the top ranking tools on key Web
sites including;
a. DOL.gov
b. Doleta.gov
c. White House OSTP blog
d. Workforce3one.org
e. Other sites
(2) Highlighting free tools on ETA's http://www.CareerOneStop.org
portal, which already houses a variety of tools for the workforce
system;
(3) Hosting Webinars featuring the top ranking tools on
Workforce3one.org;
(4) Utilizing other communication outlets such as national
associations and Intergovernmental organizations like the National
Association of State Workforce Agencies, the National Association of
Workforce Boards, the National Governor's Association, the National
Association of Counties, and the Association of Community Colleges.
As a result of the Challenge, the workforce development system will
quickly boost its capacity to meet the job information needs of the
significantly increased number of customers requiring service in the
current economic recovery effort.
Why Are We Requesting Emergency Processing?
In today's tight employment market that has experienced a 10.2
percent unemployment rate that is the highest in 26 years, the publicly
funded workforce investment system has a major responsibility to
maximize unemployed workers' opportunities for rapid reemployment by
quickly connecting them to the full scope of available jobs. We know
the workforce system is working hard to connect workforce system
customers to the best job search resources available. However, as a
result of technological innovations, new job search tools have been
launched and new tools are emerging daily that help job seekers find
jobs and target their search to the most relevant employment
opportunities.
Expedited or Emergency approval of this data collection will enable
the Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration
(ETA), and the White House to respond aggressively to the record
unemployment rates. Failure to start the Challenge and do the
collection by November 30, 2009 would waste federal Recovery Act and
State resources. Many States and local areas are individually searching
for job matching and job search solutions to meet the significantly
increased number of job seekers in need of assistance in One Stop
Career Centers nationwide as a result of the historic downturn in the
nation's economy.
Darrin A. King,
Departmental Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-27697 Filed 11-17-09; 8:45 am]
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