[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 61 (Wednesday, March 30, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17710-17711]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-7451]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Proposed Collection, Comment Request
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps to
ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format,
reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized,
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the
proposed revision of the ``Report on Current Employment Statistics.'' A
copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be
obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the Addresses
section of this notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
ADDRESSES section of this notice on or before May 31, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Carol Rowan, BLS Clearance Officer,
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080,
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC 20212. Written comments
also may be transmitted by fax to 202-691-5111 (this is not a toll free
number).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carol Rowan, BLS Clearance Officer,
202-691-7628 (this is not a toll free number). (See ADDRESSES section.)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Current Employment Statistics (CES) program provides current
monthly statistics on employment, hours, and earnings, by industry and
geography. CES estimates are among the most visible and widely-used
Principal Federal Economic Indicators (PFEIs). CES data are also among
the timeliest of the PFEIs, with their release each month by BLS in the
Employment Situation, typically on the first Friday of each month. The
statistics are fundamental inputs in economic decision processes at all
levels of government, private enterprise, and organized labor.
The CES monthly estimates of employment, hours, and earnings are
based on a sample of U.S. nonagricultural establishments. Information
is derived from approximately 290,600 reports (from a sample of 140,000
employers with State Unemployment Insurance (UI) accounts comprised of
440,000 individual worksites), as of January 2011. Each month, firms
report their employment, payroll, and hours on forms identified as the
BLS-790. The sample is collected under a probability based design.
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands collect an additional 5,600 reports
using a quota sample.
A list of all form types currently used appears in the table below.
Respondents receive variations of the basic collection forms, depending
on their industry.
The CES program is a voluntary program under Federal statute.
Reporting to the State agencies is voluntary in all but four States
(Oregon, Washington, North Carolina, South Carolina), Puerto Rico, and
the Virgin Islands. To our knowledge, the States that do have mandatory
reporting rarely exercise their authority. The collection form's
confidentiality statement cites the Confidential Information Protection
and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 and mentions the State mandatory
reporting authority.
II. Current Action
Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for the
Report on Current Employment Statistics.
Automated data collection methods are now used for most of the CES
sample. Approximately 131,200 reports are received through Electronic
Data Interchange as of January 2011. Web data collection accounts for
58,900 reports. Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing is used to
collect 62,000. Fax is also a significant collection mode, as 15,300
reports are collected via this method. Touchtone Data Entry is used for
10,900 reports. In comparison, only 5,700 reports are collected by
mail.
The balance of the sample is collected through other automated
methods including submission of tapes, diskettes, and email.
III. Desired Focus of Comments
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in
comments that:
Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including
[[Page 17711]]
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 clarity of the
information to be collected.
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.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Title: Report on Current Employment Statistics.
OMB Number: 1220-0011.
Affected Public: State or local governments; Businesses or other
for-profit; Non-profit institutions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minutes per Frequency of Annual Annual burden
Form Reports report response responses hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A--Mining and Logging........... 1,400 11 12 16,800 3,080
B--Construction................. 13,100 11 12 157,200 28,820
C--Manufacturing................ 11,400 11 12 136,800 25,080
E--Service Providing Industries. 193,400 11 12 2,320,800 425,480
G--Public Administration........ 47,400 6 12 568,800 56,880
S--Education.................... 9,800 6 12 117,600 11,760
F1, F2, F3 Fax Forms............ 14,100 11 12 169,200 31,020
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total....................... 290,600 .............. .............. 3,487,200 582,120
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): $0.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget
approval of the information collection request; they also will become a
matter of public record.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 25th day of March 2011.
Kimberley Hill,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 2011-7451 Filed 3-29-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P