[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 113 (Monday, June 14, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33072-33074]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-13261]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of Labor Statistics


Proposed Collection, Comment Request

AGENCY: Bureau of Labor Statistics, DOL.

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 August 13, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer, 
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080, 
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC 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, 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.

[[Page 33073]]

    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, 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 benefit cost (ECI) and benefit provision (EBS) 
programs. The NCS is currently phasing out any non-integrating data 
collection. This change to the NCS sample has helped to 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 continue to provide all of the benefit provision and 
participation data now collected. These data include estimates of how 
many workers receive the various employer-sponsored benefits. The data 
also will include information about the common provisions 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: 41,776 (three-year average).
    Frequency: Quarterly, annually.
    Total Responses: 75,207 (three-year average).
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 57,934.
    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 
for FY 2005 and FY 2006 because they are for initiation of new 
government sample units and the current NCS governments sample is 
frozen. A new government sample will be initiated in FY 2007.

                                                       Table 1.--Annual Respondent Burden by Form
                                                       [Average of FY 2005, FY 2006, and FY 2007]
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                                                                                                                                   Average
                                                     Total                                                              Total    minutes for   Estimated
                      Form                        respondents                        Frequency                        responses      the         total
                                                   for forms                                                          for forms  predominant    burden
                                                                                                                                   form use      hours
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Government Establishment Collection Form (NCS            1533  Annually or Quarterly...............................        1533           19         486
 Form 04-1G).
Private Establishment Collection Form (NCS Form          4148  Annually or Quarterly...............................        4148           19        1314
 04-1P).
Government Earning Form (NCS Form 04-2G)........         1533  Annually or Quarterly...............................        1533           20         511
Private Earning Form (NCS Form 04-2P)...........         4148  Annually or Quarterly...............................        4148           20        1383
Computer Generated Earnings Update Form.........        29465  Annually or Quarterly...............................       62896           20       20965
Government Work Level Form (NCS Form 04-3G).....         1533  Annually or Quarterly...............................        1533           25         639
Private Work Level Form (NCS FORM 04-3P)........         4148  Annually or Quarterly...............................        4148           25        1728
Government Work Schedule Form (NCS 04-4G).......         1533  Annually or Quarterly...............................        1533           10         256
Private Work Schedule Form (NCS 04-4P)..........         4148  Annually or Quarterly...............................        4148           10         691
Government Benefits Collection Form (NCS 04-5G).          660  Annually or Quarterly...............................         660          180        1980
Private Benefits Collection Form (NCS 04-5P)....         2150  Annually or Quarterly...............................        2150          180        6450
Summary of Benefits (Benefit update form SO-            14808  Quarterly...........................................       47510        15-20       15661
 1003) is computer generated.
Collection not tied to a specific form (testing,         8777  Unknown.............................................        8777         5-60        5780
 QA/QM, etc.).
                                                 --------------
    Totals......................................       77,856  ....................................................     144,717  ...........      57,934
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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.


[[Page 33074]]


    Signed at Washington, DC, this 3rd day of June, 2004.
Jes[uacute]s Salinas,
Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor 
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 04-13261 Filed 6-10-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P