[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 137 (Thursday, July 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41706-41707]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-16774]


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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 ``Current Population Survey (CPS).'' 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 September 15, 2014.

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 (this is not a toll free number). (See ADDRESSES section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The CPS has been the principal source of the official Government 
statistics on employment and unemployment for over 70 years. The labor 
force information gathered through the survey is of paramount 
importance in keeping track of the economic health of the Nation. The 
survey is the only source of monthly data on total employment and 
unemployment. The Employment Situation news release contains data from 
this survey and is designated as a Principal Federal Economic Indicator 
(PFEI). Moreover, the survey also yields data on the characteristics of 
persons not in the labor force. The CPS data are used monthly, in 
conjunction with data from other sources, to analyze the extent to 
which, and with what success, the various components of the American 
population are participating in the economic life of the Nation.
    The labor force data gathered through the CPS are provided to users 
in the greatest detail possible, in conjunction with the demographic 
information obtained in the survey. In brief, the labor force data can 
be broken down by sex, age, race, ethnicity, marital status, family 
composition, educational level, disability status, and other 
characteristics. Through such breakdowns, one can focus on the 
employment situation of specific population groups as well as on 
general trends in employment and unemployment. Information of this type 
can be obtained only through demographically oriented surveys such as 
the CPS.
    The basic CPS data also are used as an important platform on which 
to base the data derived from the various supplemental questions that 
are administered in conjunction with the survey. By coupling the basic 
data from the monthly survey with the special data from the 
supplements, one can get valuable insights on the behavior of American 
workers and on the social and economic health of their families.
    There is wide interest in the monthly CPS data among Government 
policymakers, legislators, economists, the media, and the general 
public. While the data from the CPS are used in conjunction with data 
from other surveys in assessing the economic health of the Nation, they 
are unique in various ways. Specifically, they are the basis for much 
of the monthly Employment Situation report, a PFEI. They provide a 
monthly, nationally representative measure of total employment, 
including farm work, self-employment, and unpaid family work; other 
surveys are generally restricted to the nonagricultural wage and salary 
sector, or provide less timely information. The CPS provides data on 
all job seekers, and on all persons outside the labor force, while 
payroll-based surveys cannot, by definition, cover these sectors of the 
population. Finally, the CPS data on employment, unemployment, and on 
persons not in the labor force can be linked to the demographic 
characteristics of the many groups that make up the Nation's 
population, while the data from most other surveys are devoid of 
demographic information. Many groups, both in the government and in the 
private sector, are eager to analyze this wealth of demographic and 
labor force data.

II. Current Action

    Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for the 
Current Population Survey (CPS). A revision of a currently approved 
collection is needed to provide the Nation with timely information 
about the labor force status of the population. The CPS questionnaire 
has been revised to add three questions on certification/licensure and 
remove three questions on educational attainment to avoid increasing 
the cost of the CPS and to limit the increase in respondent burden. 
These proposed changes would be permanent changes to the survey.
    Certification/licensure is a topic that aligns closely with the CPS 
goal of collecting information about factors that impact labor market 
success, and it is a topic of interest to researchers and policy 
makers. The three additional questions will identify whether 
respondents have a currently active professional certification or 
license; whether any of those credentials were issued by the Federal, 
State, or local government; and whether the credential is required for 
an individual's main job.
    The three educational attainment items that are proposed for 
removal were added in 1996 to enable researchers to construct a measure 
of continuous years of education. (There were seven educational 
attainment

[[Page 41707]]

questions on the 2014 CPS, and the main educational attainment 
question, which is widely used, would remain.) All three of the 
questions proposed for elimination are about graduate education--
specifically, whether individuals have taken any graduate or 
professional school courses since completing a bachelor's degree, 
whether they'd completed six or more courses, and whether their 
master's degree program was a 1-year, 2-year, or 3-year program. After 
conducting a literature search and consulting with stakeholders, BLS 
determined that these questions are rarely used.

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: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    Title: Current Population Survey (CPS).
    OMB Number: 1220-0100.
    Affected Public: Households.
    Total Respondents: 55,000 per month.
    Frequency: Monthly.
    Total Responses: 660,000.
    Average Time per Response: 7.6 minutes.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 83,600 hours.
    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 11th day of July 2014.
Kimberley Hill,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 2014-16774 Filed 7-16-14; 8:45 am]
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