[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 19 (Friday, January 29, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4718-4719]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-2146]


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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 
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 Occupational Employment.'' 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 below on or before March 30, 1999.
    The Bureau of Labor Statistics 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 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 Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey is a Federal/
State establishment survey of wage and salary workers designed to 
produce data on current occupational employment and wages. OES survey 
data assist in the development of employment and training programs 
established by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, Job Training 
Partnership Act (JTPA) of 1982, and the Perkins Vocational Education 
Act of 1984.
    The OES program operates a periodic mail survey of a sample of non-
farm establishments conducted by all fifty States, Guam, Puerto Rico, 
the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands. Over three-year 
periods, data on occupational employment and wages are collected by 
industry at the two- and three-digit Standard Industrial Classification 
(SIC) levels. The Department of Labor uses OES data in the 
administration of the Alien Labor Certification process under the 
Immigration Act of 1990.

II. Current Actions

    BLS plans to make a major change to occupations surveyed in 1999 by 
incorporating the 1998 edition of the Standard Occupational 
Classification (SOC) manual in place of the OES Dictionary. Research 
also is underway to evaluate any changes needed to specific industry 
forms to prepare for the North American Industry Classification System 
(NAICS) to be introduced in the 2002 OES survey. This research may 
result in the reduction of the number of industry forms and the 
introduction of an unstructured form (a form without occupations 
listed, sent to small establishments only) for the 1999 survey. BLS and 
the States are considering changes to the mail questionnaire in order 
to reduce respondent burden, including the addition or deletion of 
requests for certain survey items. Research is being conducted on the 
collection of OES data by electronic means, including the Internet. BLS 
plans to conduct a Response Analysis Survey (RAS) to examine data 
collection procedures. This will be the first examination of such 
procedures since 1989.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    Title: Report on Occupational Employment.
    OMB Number: 1220-0042.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; not-for-profit 
institutions; and State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Frequency: Annual.

[[Page 4719]]



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                                                     Number of                                     Annual burden
                      Forms                         responding     Response time   Annual burden   hours three-
                                                       units         (minutes)         hours       year average
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BLS 2877:
    FY 2000.....................................         340,000  ..............         255,000  ..............
    FY 2001.....................................         340,000              45         255,000         255,000
    FY 2002.....................................         340,000  ..............         255,000  ..............
BLS 2877 RAS:
    FY 2000.....................................           4,000  ..............             933  ..............
    FY 2001.....................................           4,000              14             933             622
    FY 2002.....................................               0  ..............               0  ..............
Total:
    FY 2000.....................................         344,000              59         255,933  ..............
    FY 2001.....................................         344,000  ..............         255,933         255,622
    FY 2002.....................................         340,000              45         255,000  ..............
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    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 January 1999.
W. Stuart Rust, Jr.,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 99-2146 Filed 1-28-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-M