[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 148 (Friday, July 31, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46189-46190]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16639]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of Labor Statistics


Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

AGENCY: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, provides 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. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting 
comments concerning the new information collection of the ``U.S. 
Business Response Survey and Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey 
Supplement.'' A copy of the proposed information collection request 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 September 29, 2020.

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 email to [email protected].

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

    On July 9, 2020, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) granted 
approval under the emergency approval provisions of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to begin 
collecting the U.S. Business Response Survey (BRS) and Job Openings and 
Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) Supplement. The BRS and JOLTS Supplement 
capture information about changes to businesses since the onset of the 
novel coronavirus pandemic. The same questionnaire will be conducted as 
a large, one-time survey as well as a one-time supplemental survey to 
March 2020 JOLTS sample members. The large sample will allow the BLS to 
quickly collect and disseminate information related to how businesses 
have changed since the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The 
supplemental survey to March 2020 JOLTS sample members will allow for 
specific business changes related to the coronavirus pandemic to be 
directly linked to JOLTS data.
    The BRS and JOLTS Supplement seeks to identify changes to business 
operations, employment and workforce flexibilities, and benefits that 
occurred from the onset of the coronavirus pandemic to when the survey 
is fielded. This collection will provide critical information that will 
complement the standard economic data BLS and the federal statistical 
system will publish for the same time period and provide policy makers 
and data users additional information that could help to inform 
decisions.

II. Method of Collection

    The BRS will use the BLS business register, based on the Quarterly 
Census of Employment and Wages, maintained by BLS as its sampling 
frame. The register contains employment information on establishments 
in the U.S. subject to unemployment insurance taxes. This register 
covers 98 percent of U.S. jobs, available at the county, Metropolitan 
Statistical Area, State, and national levels by industry. The main BRS 
will go to a nationally representative sample of the U.S. economy and 
be large enough to allow for state and industry estimates.
    The supplemental JOLTS collection will offer valuable context to 
the responses about employment and hiring decisions made at the 
industry and state-level. The sample will allow an analysis of the BRS 
collected information with the longitudinal JOLTS establishment 
staffing patterns prior to and after completing the BRS. This is a 
unique analysis from the primary sample, and adds a valuable dimension 
to understanding business responses to the coronavirus pandemic. These 
data will be used separately from the BRS sample.
    The collection is being conducted entirely on-line, using the 
existing data collection instrument of the Annual Refiling Survey as a 
platform for conducting the BRS. The use of existing information 
technology will minimize government costs and respondent burden.
    Collection of the BRS and JOLTS Supplement will enable the BLS to 
facilitate a collection of information on how the coronavirus pandemic 
has changed American businesses and the U.S. economy. BLS expects to 
publish survey results nationally, by state, by sector, and where 
possible by state and sector.
    The BRS, in combination with data collected by current BLS surveys, 
could help in understanding how businesses responded during the 
pandemic. Specifically, other BLS statistics could provide indications 
of changes in employment, wages, job openings and terminations, 
employer-provided benefits, and safety and health, but will not be able 
to determine if any changes in levels were related to the coronavirus 
pandemic. Only by asking employers directly what they experienced, and 
how they responded to the pandemic, can data users be able to draw 
meaningful conclusions.
    The additional collection of the JOLTS Supplement will benefit the 
JOLTS program by offering valuable context to the responses about 
employment and hiring decisions made at the industry and state-level. 
These

[[Page 46190]]

data will be used separately from the BRS sample in analyzing and 
understanding the job openings and closings data reported in the JOLTS 
survey and will make it unnecessary for the JOLTS program to request 
emergency clearance to add questions to the existing survey.

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.
    Title of Collection: U.S. Business Response Survey.
    OMB Number: 1220-0197.
    Type of Review: New collection.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for profits; Farms; Non-profit 
institutions.
    Total Respondents: 152,698.
    Frequency: One time.
    Total Responses: 152,698.
    Average Time per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 25,450 hours.
    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, on July 28, 2020.
Mark Staniorski,
Division of Management Systems.
[FR Doc. 2020-16639 Filed 7-30-20; 8:45 am]
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