[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 184 (Friday, September 20, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49488-49490]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-24191]


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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 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

[[Page 49489]]

properly assessed. Currently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is 
soliciting comments concerning the proposed extension of he ``Standard 
Industrial Classification (SIC) Refiling Forms.''
    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 
addresses section below on or before November 19, 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 N.E., Washington, D.C. 20212. Ms. Kurz can be 
reached on 202-606-7628 (this is not a toll free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The ES-202 Report, produced for each calendar quarter, is a summary 
of employment, wage, and contribution data submitted to State 
Employment Security Agencies (SESAs) by employers subject to State 
Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws. Also included in each State report 
are similar data for Federal Government employees covered by the 
Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees Program. These data are 
submitted by all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 
the Virgin Islands and then summarized for the Nation by the Bureau of 
Labor Statistics (BLS).
    The ES-202 program is a comprehensive and accurate source of 
monthly employment and quarterly wage data, by industry, at the 
National, State, and county levels. It provides a virtual census on 
nonagricultural employees and their wages. In addition, about 40 
percent of the workers in agriculture are covered. As the most complete 
universe of monthly employment and quarterly wage information by 
industry, county, and State, the ES-202 series has broad economic 
significance in evaluating labor trends and major industry 
developments, in time series analysis and industry comparisons, and in 
special studies such as analysis of wages by size of firm.
    The program provides data necessary to both the Employment and 
Training Administration (ETA) and the SESAs in administering the 
employment security program. These data accurately reflect the extent 
of coverage of the State Unemployment Insurance laws and are used to 
measure UI revenues and disbursements; National, State, and local area 
employment; and total and taxable wage trends. Further, the information 
is used in actuarial studies; it is used in determination of experience 
ratings, maximum benefit levels, and areas needing Federal assistance; 
and it helps ensure the solvency of Unemployment Insurance funds.
    The ES-202 data are also used by a variety of other BLS programs. 
They serve, for example, as the basic source of benchmark information 
for employment by industry and by size of unit in the Current 
Employment Statistics (BLS-790) Program and the Occupational Employment 
Statistics (OES) Survey Program. They are used as the basic source of 
place-of-work employment data for non-metropolitan areas in the Local 
Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) Program. The Quarterly Unemployment 
Insurance Name and Address File, developed in conjunction with the ES-
202 Report, serves as a national sampling frame for establishment 
surveys by the Occupational Compensation Surveys, Employment Cost 
Index, Producer Price Index, and Occupational Safety and Health 
Statistics programs. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the Department 
of Commerce uses ES-202 wage data as a base for estimating a large 
portion of the wage and salary component of national personal income 
and gross national product. These estimates are instrumental in 
determining Federal allocation of revenue-sharing funds to State and 
local governments. Finally, the ES-202 is one of the best sources of 
detailed employment and wage statistics used by business and public and 
private research organizations.
    To assure the continued accuracy of these published economic 
statistics in terms of industrial classification, the information 
supplied by the employers must be periodically reviewed and updated. 
For this purpose, the Industry Verification Statement (both Single and 
Multiple Worksite), and the Industry Classification Statement (both All 
Industry and Public Administration) are used in conjunction with the 
Unemployment Insurance tax reporting system in each State. The 
information collected on these forms is used to review the current SIC 
code assigned to each establishment. The SIC for establishments whose 
business activity has changed since the last review are updated to 
reflect this change. As a result of these updates, the industry detail 
data that the Bureau and State Agencies publish reflect changes that 
occur in the industrial composition of the economy.

II. Current Actions

    If the industrial coding review process were not performed, the 
reliability of estimates for industrial and occupational employment, 
hours and earnings, producer prices, productivity, and industry wage 
data would be considerably reduced. All of these programs and their 
uses (as well as others) are dependent on accurate industrial coding in 
the design and maintenance of their samples. Inaccurate industrial 
coding can also adversely affect payments that businesses and/or 
employees receive from contracts that use industrial earnings data for 
estimating escalating labor costs.
    In addition to obtaining industry data from employers, the Industry 
Verification Statement and the Industry Classification Statement are 
designed to obtain information on the type of ownership (private 
industry or Federal, State, or local government) and geographic 
location. The ownership data have assumed greater importance since 
current coding procedures classify establishments engaged in similar 
activities into the same industry code regardless of ownership. The 
geographic information is used to assign or verify the location of the 
establishment. Both ownership and geographic data must be reviewed 
periodically and updated if necessary, to provide a complete and 
current industry/area database by ownership. We plan to continue the 
review of employers' SIC, ownership and geographic codes on a three-
year cycle for the entire Unemployment Insurance (UI) universe of 
accounts, presently numbering approximately 7.2 million units. Each 
year approximately

[[Page 49490]]

one-third of these reporting units, and every five years all accounts 
classified in public administration, will be reviewed. Data for the ES-
202 Program and Unemployment Insurance Name and Address Files are 
classified according to industry categories listed in the SIC Manual 
(SICM).
    Type of Review: Revision.
    Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    OMB Number: 1220-0032.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-profit 
institutions; Farms; Federal government; State, Local or Tribal 
Government.

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                                                                                          Average     Estimated 
                                   Total                                      Total       time per      total   
             Form               respondents            Frequency            responses     response      burden  
                                                                                          (hours)      (hours)  
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BLS 3023-VS...................    5,984,250  Every 3 Yrs.................    1,994,750         .083      165,564
BLS 3023-VM...................      114,590  Every 3 Yrs.................       38,197          .75       28,647
BLS 3023-CA...................       53,000  Annually....................       53,000         .167        8,851
BLS 3023-P....................  ...........  Every 5 Yrs.................  ...........  ...........  ...........
                               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals....................  ...........  ............................    2,085,947  ...........      203,062
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    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): $0.
    Comments submitted in response to this comment request will be 
summarized and/or include in the request for Office of Management and 
Budget approval of the information collection request; they will also 
become a matter of public record.

    Signed at Washington, D.C., this 17th day of September, 1996.
W. Stuart Rust, Jr.,
Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor 
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 96-24191 Filed 9-19-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-M