[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 18 (Friday, January 26, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2542-2543]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-1381]



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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Bureau of Labor Statistics


Proposed Information Collection Request Submitted for Public 
Comment and Recommendations; Response Analysis Survey of BLS 790 and 
ES-202 Reporters

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance 
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. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be 
provided in the desired format, reporting burden is minimized, 
reporting forms are clearly understood, and the impact of collection 
requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, the 
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the 
proposed extension of the ``Response Analysis Survey.''
    A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be 
obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the address 
section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before March 26, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Karin G. Kurz, BLS Clearance Officer, 
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 3255, 
2 Massachusetts Avenue NE., Washington, DC 20212.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ms. Kurz on 202-606-7628 (this is not a toll free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    This survey is a continuation of BLS' long-term efforts to improve 
data quality in the Current Employment Statistics (CES) and Covered 
Employment and Wages (ES-202) programs. The CES program (also known as 
the BLS 790 program) collects employment, payroll, and hours 
information from over 380,000 nonagricultural establishments each 
month. The ES-202 program processes employment and wage information 
from approximately 6.5 million nonagricultural establishments covered 
by State Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws on a quarterly basis, and 
provides a virtual universe count of employment. These covered 
employers report their employment and wages each quarter on State 
Quarterly Contribution Reports (QCR). Employers who have multiple 
locations or industrial activities also complete the Multiple Worksite 
Report (MWR) each quarter. The MWR disaggregates the employment and 
wage data collected on the QCR to its proper geographical locations and 
industry.
    The employment estimates from the CES are generally published about 
3 weeks after the reference period each month. Data from the ES-202 
program are generally available 6 months after the end of the reference 
quarter. Once each year, BLS adjusts or ``benchmarks'' the CES 
employment estimates to the ES-202 levels. Traditionally, benchmark 
revisions have been relatively small. Over the past 10 years, the 
revision has averaged approximately 200,000 or +/- 0.2 percent. 
However, there are isolated instances where revisions have been larger. 
In 1994 the preliminary benchmark revision was estimated at 760,000. In 
1991 the revision was 640,000, and in 4 other years since 1980 the 
revision has exceeded 300,000.
    In general, the ES-202 figures are regarded as more accurate since 
they represent a virtual universe count. However, there are many 
potential sources of error associated with both CES and ES-202 figures, 
such as coverage, response and processing errors.
    The CES estimates are widely used by policymakers, researchers and 
private industry to measure current economic activity. Data from the 
ES-202 program provide similar information on a lagged basis. Because 
of the potential impact on policy decisions that can result from large 
benchmark revisions, it is important to understand and evaluate with 
greater precision the various components of nonsampling error in both 
data series.
    Since 1981, BLS has undertaken a series of special quality 
measurement studies of CES respondents to determine the accuracy of the 
reported data, and to identify sources of possible error. The most 
recent of these was approved under Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) approval number 1220-0089. Improvements have also been made in 
the review of the ES-202 data.
    The data collected by these surveys are usually available from the 
respondents' payroll records. These records can be kept by a variety of 
methods, such as hand calculation, internal or external software, or by 
a payroll processing firm. However, the reported employment figures may 
not be in accordance with the exact definitions used by the CES and ES-
202 programs. The reported employment figures also can differ between 
the two programs for each respondent, and may be reported by different 
individuals within the firm. The Response Analysis Survey (RAS) 
provides a structured approach to identifying the sources of these 
differences whether they be definitional or due to processing methods. 
It will also contribute to an overall error profile for the CES and ES-
202 programs.
    The questionnaire that will be used for the RAS already has been 
approved through March 1996. It focuses on the reporting of employment 
data in terms of timing, method, source and content. A pilot test of 9 
interviews, in each of the original 9 States involved, was conducted. 
This test was approved under the last submission. The results of this 
test were used to refine the questionnaire and procedures, from which 
the rest of the interviews (approximately 8,000) are being conducted. 
One State (New Jersey) was added because they expressed an interest in 
the project and have previous experience in this area.

II. Current Actions

    We are requesting an extension of approval from March 1996 through 
September 1996. The Department of Labor Inspector General has 
recommended additional quality assurance testing and participating 
States require more time for collection of data. Public comments may be 
provided on the accuracy of the burden estimates and ways to minimize 
burden, including the use of automated collection techniques or other 
types of information technology.
    Type of Review: Extension.
    Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    Title: Response Analysis Survey.
    OMB Number: 1220-0089.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-profit 
institutions; State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents: 8,000.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 30 minutes.
    Total Burden Hours: 4,000 hours.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or 

[[Page 2543]]
included in the request for Office of Management and Budget approval of 
the ICR; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 23rd day of January 1996.
Peter T. Spolarich,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 96-1381 Filed 1-25-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-M