[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 197 (Friday, October 9, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64167-64168]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-22366]


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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, 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. 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 Quarterly Census of 
Employment and Wages Program. 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 December 8, 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

    The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, a 
Federal/State cooperative effort, produces monthly employment and 
quarterly wage information. It is a by-product of quarterly reports 
submitted to State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) by employers subject to 
State Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws. The collection of these data is 
authorized by 29 U.S.C. 1, 2. The QCEW data, which are compiled for 
each calendar quarter, provide a comprehensive business name and 
address file with employment and wage information for employers subject 
to State UI laws. Similar data for Federal Government employers covered 
by the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees program also are 
included. These data are submitted to the BLS by all 50 States, the 
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The BLS 
summarizes these data to produce totals for all counties, Metropolitan 
Statistical Areas (MSAs), the States, and the nation. The QCEW program 
provides a virtual census of nonagricultural employees and their wages, 
with about 54 percent of the workers in agriculture covered as well.
    The QCEW program is a comprehensive and accurate source of data on 
the number of establishments, monthly employment, and quarterly wages, 
by industry, at the six-digit North American Industry Classification 
System (NAICS) level, and at the national, State, MSA, and county 
levels. The QCEW series has broad economic significance in measuring 
labor trends and major industry developments, in time series analyses 
and industry comparisons, and in special studies such as analyses of 
establishments, employment, and wages by size of establishment.

II. Current Action

    Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for the 
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program.
    The QCEW program is implementing improvements to the methods used 
to impute data for missing employer reports starting in October 2020. 
The current method of imputation estimates the current month's 
employment or current quarterly wages by applying the change from a 
year earlier to the previous month's reported employment and/or 
quarterly wages. A drawback to this procedure is that it uses the data 
from a year earlier, which may not reflect current economic conditions. 
BLS anticipates that the number of non-responding employers will be 
substantially higher than usual in the second quarter of 2020, as a 
result of the business response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 
Existing imputation methods would likely understate the impact of the 
pandemic on the US economy. BLS has conducted research on improvements 
to its imputation methodology and will implement these improvements 
with the first release of data for the second quarter of 2020.
    The QCEW program is the only Federal statistical program that 
provides information on establishments, wages, tax contributions and 
the number of employees subject to State UI laws and the Unemployment 
Compensation for the Federal Employees program. The consequences of not 
collecting QCEW data would be grave to the Federal statistical 
community. The BLS would not have a sampling frame for its 
establishment surveys; it would not be able to publish as accurate 
current estimates of employment for the US, States, and metropolitan 
areas; and it would not be able to publish quarterly census totals of 
local establishment counts, employment, and wages. The Bureau of 
Economic Analysis would not be able to publish as accurate personal 
income data in a timely manner for the U.S., States, and local areas. 
Finally, the Department of Labor's Employment Training Administration 
would not have the information it needs to administer the Unemployment 
Insurance Program.

[[Page 64168]]

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: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages 
(QCEW) Program.
    OMB Number: 1220-0012.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: State Governments.
    Total Respondents: 53.
    Frequency: Quarterly.
    Total Responses: 212.
    Average Time per Response: 3,875 hours.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 821,600 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, October 2, 2020.
Eric Molina,
Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems.
[FR Doc. 2020-22366 Filed 10-8-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P