[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 150 (Friday, August 2, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40458-40459]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-19716]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Proposed Collection; Comment Request
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 (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.
Currently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments
concerning the proposed revision of the ``Report on Employment,
Payroll, and Hours (BLS-790).''
A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be
obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the addressee
section of this notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
addressee section below on or before October 1, 1996.
BLS is particularly interested in comments which help the agency
to:
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 clarity 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.
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. Ms. Kurz can be
reached on 202-606-7628 (this is not a toll free number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has been charged by Congress (29
U.S.C. 1) with the responsibility of collecting and publishing monthly
information on employment, the average wage received, and the hours
worked, by area and by industry. The Current Employment Statistics
(CES) program produces monthly estimates, hours, and earnings of U.S.
nonagricultural establishment payrolls. Information for these estimates
is derived from a sample of 391,800 establishments, who each month
report their employment, payroll, and hours on forms identified as BLS-
790. The estimates produced from the data are fundamental inputs in
economic decision processes at all levels of private enterprise,
government, and organized labor. The estimates are vital to the
calculation of the Gross Domestic Product, the Federal Reserve Board's
Index of Industrial Production and the Composite Index of Leading
Economic Indicators among others.
The earnings data provide a proxy measure of the cost of labor for
the industry detail not available from the Bureau's Employment Cost
Index program. The early availability of employment and hours data
provide early signals of economic change.
II. Current Actions
BLS has improved methods of collecting the CES. A portion of the
CES sample is now collected (about 210,000 establishments) using two
automated methods--Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) and
Touchtone Data Entry (TDE). These methods have improved the timelines
of data collection as well as reduced costs.
Forms have been developed that make it easier for respondents to
report data by facsimile transmission (``fax''). These forms lessen
reporting burden on large multi-unit reporters by allowing them to
report information for several of their establishments on one form each
month.
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is also used for some very large
multi-unit reporters and research into the use of the World Web for
data collection has begun.
Type of Review: Revision.
Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Title: Report on Employment, Payroll, and Hours (BLS-790).
OMB Number: 1220-0011.
Affected Public: State or local governments; businesses or other
for-profit; non-profit institutions; small businesses or organizations.
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Minutes
Number of Frequency Annual required to Annual
Form respondents of response responses complete burden
report hours
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BLS 790 BM..................................... 400 12 4,800 15 1,200
BLS 790-G, G-S, J-FD........................... 36,400 12 436,800 5 36,400
BLS 790-CU..................................... \1\ 0 1 45,000 2 1,500
[[Page 40459]]
BLS 790-Multi.................................. \2\ 30,000 12 360,000 7 42,000
All other BLS-790.............................. \3\ 325,000 12 3,900,000 7 455,000
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Total...................................... 391,800 ........... 4,746,600 ........... 536,100
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\1\ A subset of current reporters (45,000) receive this ``one-time'' supplemental form.
\2\ Assumes 3,000 multi-unit firms report by fax for approximately 30,000 establishments.
\3\ All other BLS-790 forms collect the same information and differ only by industry definitions.
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 29th day of July, 1996.
Peter T. Spolarich,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 96-19716 Filed 8-1-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-M