[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 116 (Monday, June 19, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27874-27875]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-12598]


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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). This program helps to ensure that the 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 ``Report on 
Current Employment Statistics.'' 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 18, 2017.

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 Current Employment Statistics (CES) program provides current 
monthly statistics on employment, hours, and earnings, by industry and 
geography. CES estimates are among the most visible and widely-used 
Principal Federal Economic Indicators (PFEIs). CES data are also among 
the timeliest of the PFEIs, with their release each month by the BLS in 
the Employment Situation, typically on the first Friday of each month. 
The statistics are fundamental inputs in economic decision processes at 
all levels of government, private enterprise, and organized labor.
    The CES monthly estimates of employment, hours, and earnings are 
based on a sample of U.S. nonagricultural establishments. Information 
is derived from approximately 297,000 reports (from a sample of 147,000 
employers with State Unemployment Insurance (UI) accounts comprised of 
634,000 individual worksites), as of February 2017. Each month, firms 
report their employment, payroll, and hours on forms identified as the 
BLS-790. The sample is collected under a probability-based design. 
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands collect an additional 7,000 reports.
    A list of all form types currently used appears in the table below. 
Respondents receive variations of the basic collection forms, depending 
on their industry.
    The CES program is a voluntary program under Federal statute. 
Reporting to the State agencies is voluntary in all but three States

[[Page 27875]]

(Oregon, North Carolina, and South Carolina), Puerto Rico, and the 
Virgin Islands. To our knowledge, the States that do have mandatory 
reporting rarely exercise their authority. The collection form's 
confidentiality statement cites the Confidential Information Protection 
and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 and mentions the State mandatory 
reporting authority.

II. Current Action

    Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for the 
Report on Current Employment Statistics.
    Automated data collection methods are now used for most of the CES 
sample. Approximately 139,000 reports are received through Electronic 
Data Interchange as of February 2017. Web data collection accounts for 
48,000 reports. Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing is used to 
collect 73,000. Fax is also a significant collection mode, as 8,000 
reports are collected via this method. Touchtone Data Entry is used for 
7,000 reports.
    The balance of the sample is collected through other methods 
including submission of transcripts, emails, and other special 
arrangements.

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: Report on Current Employment Statistics.
    OMB Number: 1220-0011.
    Affected Public: State or local governments; Businesses or other 
for profit; Non-profit institutions.

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                                                    Minutes per    Frequency of       Annual       Annual burden
              Form                    Reports         report         response        responses         hours
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A--Mining and Logging...........           1,283              10              12          15,396           2,566
B--Construction.................          11,503              10              12         138,036          23,006
C--Manufacturing................           9,837              10              12         118,044          19,674
E--Service Providing Industries.         195,448              10              12       2,345,376         390,896
G--Public Administration........          60,382               6              12         724,584          72,458
S--Education....................          11,025               6              12         132,300          13,230
Fax790 A,B,C,E,G,S..............           8,205              10              12          98,460          16,410
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
    Total.......................         297,683  ..............  ..............       3,572,196         538,240
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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 12th day of June 2017.
Eric P. Molina,
Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor 
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 2017-12598 Filed 6-16-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-24-P