[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 231 (Tuesday, December 1, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77259-77260]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26433]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Annual Refiling Survey

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting this Bureau of 
Labor Statistics (BLS)-sponsored information collection request (ICR) 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). Public 
comments on the ICR are invited.

DATES: The OMB will consider all written comments that agency receives 
on or before December 31, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
    Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the collection of information 
is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the 
Department, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (2) if the information will be processed and used in a timely 
manner; (3) the accuracy of the agency's estimates of the burden and 
cost of the collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (4)

[[Page 77260]]

ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information 
collection; and (5) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on those who are to respond, including the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anthony May by telephone at 202-693-
4129 (this is not a toll-free number) or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages 
(QCEW) program is a federal/state cooperative effort which compiles 
monthly employment data, quarterly wages data, and business 
identification information from employers subject to state Unemployment 
Insurance (UI) laws. These data are collected from state Quarterly 
Contribution Reports (QCRs) submitted to State Workforce Agencies 
(SWAs). The states send micro-level employment and wages data, 
supplemented with the names, addresses, and business identification 
information of these employers, to the BLS. The state data are used to 
create the BLS sampling frame, known as the longitudinal QCEW data. To 
ensure the continued accuracy of these data, the information supplied 
by employers must be periodically verified and updated. For this 
purpose, the Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) is used in conjunction with 
the UI tax reporting system in each state. The information collected by 
the ARS is used to review the existing industry code assigned to each 
establishment as well as the physical location of the business 
establishment. As a result, changes in the industrial and geographical 
compositions of our economy are captured in a timely manner and 
reflected in the BLS statistical programs. The ARS also asks employers 
to identify new locations in the state. If these employers meet QCEW 
program reporting criteria, then a Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) is 
sent to the employer requesting employment and wages for each worksite 
each quarter. Thus, the ARS is also used to identify new potential MWR-
eligible employers. Office of Management and Budget clearance is being 
sought for a revision to the ARS. Once every three years, the SWAs 
survey employers that are covered by the state's UI laws to ensure that 
state records correctly reflect the business activities and locations 
of those employers. States survey approximately one-third of their 
businesses each year and largely take care of the entire universe of 
covered businesses over a three-year cycle. The selection criterion for 
surveying establishments is based on the nine-digit Federal Employer 
Identification Number of the respondent. BLS constantly pursues a 
growing number of automated reporting options to reduce employer burden 
and costs and to take advantage of more efficient methods and 
procedures. Even given such actions, mailing remains an important part 
of the survey. The BLS developed a one-page letter rather than mailing 
forms for ARS solicitation. This letter explains the purpose of the ARS 
and provides respondents with a unique Web ID and password. Respondents 
are directed to the BLS online web collection system to verify or to 
update their geographic and industry information. Additionally, BLS 
staff review selected, large multi-worksite national employers rather 
than surveying these employers with traditional ARS forms. This central 
review reduces postage costs incurred by the states in sending letters 
or forms. It also reduces respondent burden, as the selected employers 
do not have to return forms either. BLS continues to use a private 
contractor to handle various administrative aspects of the survey to 
reduce the costs associated with the ARS. This initiative is called the 
Centralized Annual Refiling Survey (CARS). Under CARS, BLS effectively 
utilizes the commercial advantages related to printing and mailing 
large volumes of survey letters. Finally, BLS continues to make use of 
email addresses collected from the ARS and from the state Unemployment 
Insurance agencies for solicitation purposes. Use of email for 
solicitation reduces the overall cost of data collection. BLS will also 
continue to make use of email solicitation of small establishments that 
had been excluded from the ARS for budgetary reasons. Since collection 
costs for email solicitation are minimal, these respondents can 
continue to be added back to the ARS at little cost to the government. 
For additional substantive information about this ICR, see the related 
notice published in the Federal Register on August 24, 2020 (85 FR 
52158).
    This information collection is subject to the PRA. A Federal agency 
generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and 
the public is generally not required to respond to an information 
collection, unless the OMB approves it and displays a currently valid 
OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any other provisions 
of law, no person shall generally be subject to penalty for failing to 
comply with a collection of information that does not display a valid 
OMB Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 1320.6.
    DOL seeks PRA authorization for this information collection for 
three (3) years. OMB authorization for an ICR cannot be for more than 
three (3) years without renewal. The DOL notes that information 
collection requirements submitted to the OMB for existing ICRs receive 
a month-to-month extension while they undergo review.
    Agency: DOL-BLS.
    Title of Collection: Annual Refiling Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 1220-0032.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profits institutions; 
farms; not-for-profit institutions.
    Total Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,098,000.
    Total Estimated Number of Responses: 1,098,000.
    Total Estimated Annual Time Burden: 116,750 hours.
    Total Estimated Annual Other Costs Burden: $0.

(Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D))

    Dated: November 24, 2020.
Anthony May,
Management and Program Analyst.
[FR Doc. 2020-26433 Filed 11-30-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P