[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 17 (Thursday, January 28, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7421-7422]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01696]


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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 ``National 
Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997.'' A copy of the proposed information 
collection request can be obtained by contacting the individual listed 
in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
Addresses section below on or before March 29, 2021.

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 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) is a 
nationally representative sample of persons who were born in the years 
1980 to 1984. These respondents were ages 12-17 when the first round of 
annual interviews began in 1997; starting with round sixteen, the 
NLSY97 is conducted on a biennial basis. Round twenty interviews will 
occur from September 2021 to June 2022. The Bureau of Labor Statistics 
(BLS) contracts with a vendor to conduct the NLSY97. The primary 
objective of the survey is to study the transition from schooling to 
the establishment of careers and families. The longitudinal focus of 
this survey requires information to be collected from the same 
individuals over many years in order to trace their education, 
training, work experience, fertility, income, and program 
participation.
    One of the goals of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to produce and 
disseminate timely, accurate, and relevant information about the U.S. 
labor force. The BLS contributes to this goal by gathering information 
about the labor force and labor market and disseminating it to 
policymakers and the public so that participants in those markets can 
make more informed, and thus more efficient, choices.
    Research based on the NLSY97 contributes to the formation of 
national policy in the areas of education, training, work experience, 
fertility, income, and program participation. In addition to the 
reports that the BLS produces based on data from the NLSY97, members of 
the academic community publish articles and reports based on NLSY97 
data for the DOL and other funding agencies. To date, approximately 795 
articles examining NLSY97 data have been published in scholarly 
journals.
    The survey design provides data gathered from the same respondents 
over time to form the only dataset that contains this type of 
information for this important population group. Without the collection 
of these data, an accurate longitudinal dataset could not be provided 
to researchers and policymakers, thus adversely affecting the DOL's 
ability to perform its policy- and report-making activities.

II. Current Action

    The BLS seeks approval to conduct round 20 of biennial interviews 
of the NLSY97. Respondents of the NLSY97 will undergo an interview of 
approximately 75 minutes during which they will answer questions about 
schooling and labor market experiences, family relationships, and 
community background. During the fielding period for the main round 20 
interviews, no more than 2 percent of respondents will be asked to 
participate in a brief validation interview a few weeks after the 
initial interview. The purpose of the validation interview is to verify 
that the initial interview took place as the interviewer reported and 
to assess the data quality of selected questionnaire items.
    The BLS plans to record randomly selected segments of the main 
interviews during round 20. Recording interviews helps the BLS and its 
contractors to ensure that the interviews actually took place and 
interviewers are reading the questions exactly as worded and entering 
the responses properly. Recording also helps to identify parts of the 
interview that might be causing problems or misunderstanding for 
interviewers or respondents. Each respondent will be informed that the 
interview may be recorded for quality control, testing, and training 
purposes. If the respondent objects to the recording of the interview, 
the interviewer will confirm to the respondent that the interview will 
not be recorded and then proceed with the interview.

[[Page 7422]]

    Round 20 will be a predominantly telephone survey. We anticipate 
that approximately 90 percent of interviews will be completed by 
telephone, with the remaining interviews being conducted in person.
    The round 20 questionnaire will resemble the round 19 questionnaire 
with few modifications. New questions for the round 20 questionnaire 
include questions on hours worked from home, on the value of a job, on 
labor market volatility due to Coronavirus pandemic, on contracting of 
Coronavirus, on vaccines, on applications for Unemployment 
Compensation, on criminal background checks, on internet access and on 
the respondents' previous on experience with NLSY97's Coronavirus 
supplemental survey. In addition, we have made attempts to streamline 
the questionnaire so that it will be shorter and less burdensome for 
respondents. To this end, fewer questions will be asked about college 
enrollment, non-compete agreements, device ownership, chronic pain, and 
the use of pain killers.

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: National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997.
    OMB Number: 1220-0157.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.

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                                                                                   Average time      Estimated
            Form                   Total           Frequency           Total       per response    total burden
                                respondents                          responses       (minutes)        (hours)
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Main NLSY97: September 2021-           6,650  One-time..........           6,650              75         8,312.5
 June 2022.
Validation interview:                    133  One-time..........             133               4             8.9
 October 2021-June 2022.
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    Totals *................           6,650  ..................           6,783  ..............           8,321
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    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, January 19, 2021.
Eric Molina,
Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems.
[FR Doc. 2021-01696 Filed 1-27-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P