[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 72 (Friday, April 13, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19236-19237]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-9213]


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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 properly assessed. The 
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the 
proposed revision of the ``National Compensation Survey.'' 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 June 12, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer, 
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 3255, 
2 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20212, telephone number 
202-691-7628 (this is not a toll free number).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer, 
telephone number 202-691-7628. (See ADDRESSES section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The National Compensation Survey (NCS) is an ongoing survey of 
earnings and benefits among private firms and State, and local 
government. The NCS resulted from the merger of three surveys: the NCS 
earnings and work level data (formerly the Occupational Compensation 
Survey Program); the Employment Cost Index (ECI); and the Employee 
Benefits Survey (EBS). Data from these surveys are critical for setting 
Federal white-collar salaries, determining monetary policy (as a 
Principal Federal Economic Indicator), and for compensation 
administrators and researchers in the private sector.
    The survey will collect data from a sample of employers. These data 
will consist of information about the duties, responsibilities, and 
compensation (earnings and benefits) for a sample of occupations for 
each sampled employer.
    Data will be updated on either an annual or quarterly basis. The 
updates will allow for production of data on change in earnings and 
total compensation.

II. 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 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,

[[Page 19237]]

e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses.

III. Current Action

    Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for the 
National Compensation Survey.
    The NCS collects earnings and work level data on occupations for 
the nation and selected localities. The NCS also collects information 
on the cost, provisions, and incidence of all the major employee 
benefits through its ECI and EBS programs. The NCS currently is totally 
integrating data collection and sampling for these three products (NCS 
earnings and work level data, ECI, and EBS). This change to the NCS 
sample will help lower total respondent burden and increase the number 
of possible ways the BLS can provide data.
    The NCS data on benefit costs will continue to be used to produce 
the ECI and Employer Expenditures for Employee Compensation Series. The 
data provided will be the same, and the series will be continuous.
    The NCS will provide all of the data now provided by the EBS. These 
data include estimates of how many workers receive the various 
employer-sponsored benefits. The data also will include information 
about the common features of benefit plans.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    Title: National Compensation Survey.
    OMB Number: 1220-0164.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit; not-for-profit 
institutions; and State, local, and tribal government.
    Total Respondents: 43,228 (three-year average).
    Frequency: Quarterly, annually.
    Total Responses: 70,886 (three-year average).
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 66,593.
    All figures in the table below are based on a three-year average. 
The total respondents and total responses in the table are greater than 
the figures shown above because many respondents are asked to provide 
information relating to more than one form.
    Collection forms can have multiple uses. The table below shows the 
average collection times for the predominant uses of the forms. Record 
checks (for quality assurance and measurement) are done on a sub-sample 
of respondents verifying responses for pre-selected sections of the 
forms. The collection times for the NCS government-only forms are zero 
because they are for initiation of new government sample units, and no 
initiations of State and local government units are planned for the 
requested clearance period.

                                                       Table 1.--Annual Respondent Burden by Form
                                                       [Average of FY 2002, FY 2003, and FY 2004]
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                                                                                                                              Average
                                                                                                                            minutes for      Estimated
                      Form                            Total                     Frequency                      Total            the        total burden
                                                   respondents                                               responses      predominant     (In hours)
                                                                                                                             form use
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Establishment Collection Form (NCS Form 01-1G).               0  Annually or Quarterly..................               0              21               0
Establishment Collection Form (NCS Form 01-1P).          10,983  Annually or Quarterly..................          10,983              21           3,844
Earning Form (NCS Form 01-2G)..................               0  Annually or Quarterly..................               0              20               0
Earning Form (NCS Form 01-2P)..................          10,983  Annually or Quarterly..................          10,983              20           3,661
Computer Generated Earnings Update Form........          25,945  Annually or Quarterly..................          49,767              20          16,589
Work Level Form (NCS Form 01-3G)...............               0  Annually or Quarterly..................               0              31               0
Work Level Form (NCS Form 01-3P)...............          10,983  Annually or Quarterly..................          10,983              31           5,675
Informed consent (NCS 99-5)....................     \1\ Unknown  Unknown................................         Unknown      Negligible      Negligible
Work Schedule Form (NCS 01-4G).................               0  Annually or Quarterly..................               0              10               0
Work Schedule Form (NCS 01-4P).................          10,983  Annually or Quarterly..................          10,983              10           1,831
Benefits Collection Form (NCS 01-5G)...........               0  Annually or Quarterly..................               0             180               0
Benefits Collection Form (NCS 01-5P)...........           5,533  Annually or Quarterly..................           5,533             180          16,599
Summary of Benefits (Benefit update Form SO-             10,033  Quarterly..............................          33,611              20          11,204
 1003) is computer generated.
Collection not tied to a specific form                    9,859  Unknown................................           9,859            5-60           7,190
 (testing, QA/QM, etc.).
                                                ----------------                                         ----------------                ---------------
    Totals.....................................          95,302  .......................................         142,702  ..............         66,593
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\1\ Dependent upon number of respondents who elect to have third parties provide data.

    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, D.C., this 9th day of April, 2001.
W. Stuart Rust, Jr.,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 01-9213 Filed 4-12-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4520-24-P