[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 220 (Tuesday, November 17, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59245-59247]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-27462]


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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 extension of the ``Multiple Worksite Report and the Report of 
Federal Employment and Wages.'' 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 January 19, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Carol Rowan, BLS Clearance Officer, 
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080, 
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC 20212. Written comments 
also may be transmitted by fax to 202-691-5111. (This is not a toll 
free number.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carol Rowan, BLS Clearance Officer, 
202-691-7628. (See ADDRESSES section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program is a 
Federal/State cooperative effort which compiles monthly employment 
data, quarterly wages data, and business identification information 
from employers subject to State Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws. These 
data are collected from State Quarterly Contribution Reports (QCRs) 
submitted to State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). The States send micro-
level employment and wages data, supplemented with the names, 
addresses, and business identification information of these employers, 
to the BLS. The State data are used to create the BLS sampling frame, 
known as the longitudinal QCEW data. This file represents the best 
source of detailed industrial and geographical data on employers and is 
used as the sampling frame for most BLS surveys. The longitudinal QCEW 
data include the individual employers' employment and wages data along 
with associated business identification information that is maintained 
by each State to administer the UI program as well as the Unemployment 
Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) program.

[[Page 59246]]

    The QCEW Report, produced for each calendar quarter, is a summary 
of these employer (micro-level) data by industry at the county level. 
Similar data for Federal Government employees covered by the UCFE 
program also are included in each State's report. These data are 
submitted by all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 
the Virgin Islands to the BLS which then summarizes these micro-level 
data to produce totals for the States and the Nation. The QCEW Report 
provides a virtual census of nonagricultural employees and their wages, 
with nearly 53 percent of the workers in agriculture covered as well.
    For employers having only a single physical location or worksite in 
the State and, thus, operating under a single assigned industrial and 
geographical code, the data from the States' UI accounting files are 
sufficient for statistical purposes. However, such data are not 
sufficient for statistical purposes for those employers having multiple 
establishments and/or engaged in different industrial activities within 
the State. In such cases, the employer's QCR reflects only statewide 
employment and wages and is not disaggregated by establishment or 
worksite. Although data at this level are sufficient for many purposes 
of the UI Program, more detailed information is required to create a 
sampling frame and to meet the needs of several ongoing Federal/State 
statistical programs. The Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) is designed to 
supplement the QCR when more detailed information is needed.
    As a result of the MWR, improved establishment business 
identification data elements have been incorporated into and maintained 
on the longitudinal QCEW data file. The MWR collects a physical 
location address, secondary name (trade name, division, subsidiary, 
etc.), and reporting unit description (store number, plant name or 
number, etc.) for each worksite of multi-establishment employers.
    The function of the Report of Federal Employment and Wages (RFEW) 
is to collect employment and wages data for Federal establishments 
covered under the UCFE program. The MWR and RFEW are essentially the 
same. The MWR/RFEW forms are designed to collect data for each 
establishment of a multi-establishment employer.
    No other standardized report is available to collect current 
establishment-level monthly employment and wages data by SWAs for 
statistical purposes each quarter from the private sector nor State and 
local governments. Also, no other standardized report currently is 
available to collect installation-level Federal monthly employment and 
wages data each quarter by SWAs for statistical purposes. Completion of 
the MWR is required by State law in 28 States and territories.

II. Current Action

    Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for an 
extension of the Multiple Worksite Report and the Report of Federal 
Employment and Wages.
    The BLS has taken steps to help reduce employer reporting burden by 
developing a standardized format for employers to use to send these 
data to the States in an electronic medium. The BLS also established an 
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Collection Center to improve and 
expedite the MWR collection process. Employers who complete the MWR for 
multi-location businesses can now submit employment and wages 
information on any electronic medium directly to the data collection 
center, rather than separately to each State agency. The data 
collection center then distributes the appropriate data to the 
respective States. The BLS also has been working very closely with 
firms providing payroll and tax filing services for employers as well 
as the developers of payroll and tax filing software to include this 
electronic reporting as either a service for their clients or a new 
feature of their system. In addition, the BLS has developed a Web-based 
system, MWRweb, to collect these data from small to medium-size 
businesses. This system was begun as a pilot project in four States in 
early 2006. Now, all States are participating in MWRweb and BLS has 
seen much greater utilization of this reporting option.

III. 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.
     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.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved collection.
    Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    Title: Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) and the Report of Federal 
Employment and Wages (RFEW).
    OMB Number: 1220-0134.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit institutions, not-
for-profit institutions, and the Federal Government.
    Frequency: Quarterly.

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                                                                                   Average time
          Form number                Total         Respondent          Total       per response    Total burden
                                  respondents                        responses       (minutes)        (hours)
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BLS 3020 (MWR)................         130,226  Non-Federal.....         520,904            22.2         192,735
BLS 3021 (RFEW)...............           3,067  Federal.........          12,268            22.2           4,539
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    Totals:...................         133,293                           533,172  ..............         197,274
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[[Page 59247]]

    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 10th day of November, 2009.
Kimberley Hill,
Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor 
Statistics.
[FR Doc. E9-27462 Filed 11-16-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P