[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 6, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9548-9549]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-04546]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Analysis of Employer Performance Measurement 
Approaches

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Chief Evaluation 
Office, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of Information Collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL), as part of its continuing 
effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a 
preclearance 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 
required 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.
    Currently, DOL is soliciting comments concerning the collection of 
data about the Analysis of Employer Performance Measurement Approaches. 
A copy of the proposed information Collection Request (ICR) can be 
obtained by contacting the office listed below in the Addresses section 
of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addressee section below on or before May 7, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either one of the following 
methods: Email: [email protected]; Mail or Courier: Megan 
Lizik, Chief Evaluation Office, OASP, U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-
2312, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210. Instructions: 
Please submit one copy of your comments by only one method. All 
submissions received must include the agency name and OMB Control 
Number identified for this information collection. Comments, including 
any personal information provided, become a matter of public record. 
They will also be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB 
approval of the information collection request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Megan Lizik by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Chief Evaluation Office (CEO), in collaboration with the 
Employment and Training Administration (ETA), is conducting a 36-month 
analysis of employer services measurement approaches and metrics, as 
well as their cross-state and cross-program applicability, with a goal 
of understanding and implementing a final indicator of performance. 
Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the 
Secretaries of Labor and Education are required to establish one or 
more primary indicators of performance that indicate the effectiveness 
of core programs in serving employers. Through town halls, workgroups, 
and questions posed through the notice of proposed rule-making, the 
Secretaries of Labor and Education established three measures to be 
piloted by States: (1) An employee retention measure, (2) an employer 
penetration rate, and (3) a repeat business measure. States were also 
encouraged to pilot additional measures to assess effectiveness in 
serving employers. No clear metric has emerged to date as a single 
point of measurement of success in providing services to employers.
    The study will explore and establish an understanding of the state 
of the field in the area of employer services measurement and 
supplement the start-up of reporting by the States on the National 
Pilot measures. Key objectives of the study include: (1) Developing and 
understanding how employer services are defined by the federal 
government, States, localities, and core WIOA programs and exploring 
options for developing a uniform definition of employer services; (2) 
identifying what measures exist for understanding employer services, 
key objectives of these measures, and possibilities for uniform 
implementation at the federal level; and (3) developing options for an 
evaluation design to assess the validity, reliability, and feasibility 
of proposed measures and alternative measures of effectiveness in 
serving employers.
    This notification requests clearance for: (1) A 45-minute online 
survey of state WIOA administrators in the fifty States, the District 
of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands; (2) a 20-minute 
online survey of a sample of employers identified in partnership with 
the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA); (3) site 
visits that include structured interviews and focus groups to 
approximately 8 States; and (4) interviews with approximately 8 
employers.
    The survey of state WIOA administrators will collect information on 
which measures are being used by States, including National Pilot 
measures and alternate measures, progress made in implementing those 
measures, and how those measures are being used beyond required federal 
reporting.
    The survey of a sample of employers will document businesses' 
understanding of employer services from the workforce system and what 
it means for those services to be effective. The sample of employers 
will be drawn from DirectEmployers members, NASWA Business of the Year 
Award Winners, and others recommended by NASWA.

[[Page 9549]]

    The site visits to a selection of approximately eight States are 
intended to allow a deeper understanding of why particular measures 
were selected, progress in implementing performance measures, and 
related challenges. This fieldwork will include semi-structured 
interviews and focus groups. The States will be selected based on the 
results of the survey and other study knowledge, to include a mix of 
locations in terms of geographic region, performance measures being 
used, and status of implementation. Semi-structured interviews with a 
selection of approximately eight employers are intended to more fully 
explore issues of interest that emerge from the employer survey 
responses. Employer interview respondents will be selected based on 
survey responses as well as suggestions from NASWA regarding employers 
with particularly strong experience engaging with the workforce system.

II. Desired Focus of Comments

    Currently, DOL is soliciting comments concerning the above data 
collection for the analysis of employer performance measurement 
approaches. DOL is particularly interested in comments that do the 
following:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency 
related to employer services, including whether the information will 
have practical utility;
     evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the ICR to survey and fieldwork respondents, including the 
validity of the study approach and assumptions used;
     enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     minimize the burden of the information collection on 
respondents, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology (e.g., permitting electronic submission of 
responses).

                                         Table 1--Estimated Time Burden
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
 Information collection activity   Total number    Annual number   responses per   per response    Annual burden
                                  of respondents  of respondents    respondent        (hours)          hours
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Survey--State WIOA Administrator          \a\ 43              14               1            0.75              11
Survey--Employer................         \b\ 474             158               1            0.33              53
Site Visit Protocol--State                    32              11               1            0.75               8
 Administrator..................
Site Visit Protocol--Local                     8               3               1            0.75               2
 Administrator..................
Site Visit Protocol--State and                32              11               1            0.75               8
 Local Workforce Development
 Board Staff and Members........
Site Visit Protocol--State and                16               5               1            0.75               4
 Local Staff Collecting
 Performance Data...............
Site Visit Protocol--American             \c\ 40              13               1               1              13
 Job Center Staff...............
Interview--Employer.............               8               3               1            0.75               2
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    Total.......................             653             218  ..............  ..............             101
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\a\ Based on an 80 percent response rate.
\b\ Based on a 50 percent response rate.
\c\ One focus group of five per site visit.

III. Current Actions

    At this time, the Department of Labor is requesting clearance for 
data collection via online surveys and fieldwork for the analysis of 
employer performance measurement approaches.
    Type of review: New ICR
    OMB Control Number: 1290-0NEW
    Affected Public: Individuals working on state and local workforce 
development programs, Workforce Development Boards, and American Job 
Centers selected for surveys and fieldwork; HR department 
representatives of businesses selected for surveys and interviews.
    Comments submitted in response to this request will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) approval; they will also become a matter of public record.

    Dated: February 27, 2018.
Molly Irwin,
Chief Evaluation Officer, U.S. Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2018-04546 Filed 3-5-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-HX-P