[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 28 (Friday, February 12, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9389-9390]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-02873]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

[[Page 9390]]


DATES: The OMB will consider all written comments that agency receives 
on or before March 15, 2021.

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) 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 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 
nonresponding 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 U.S. 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 U.S., 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.
    For additional substantive information about this ICR, see the 
related notice published in the Federal Register on October 9, 2020 (85 
FR 64167).
    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: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.
    OMB Control Number: 1220-0012.
    Affected Public: State, local, and tribal governments.
    Total Estimated Number of Respondents: 53.
    Total Estimated Number of Responses: 212.
    Total Estimated Annual Time Burden: 821,500 hours.
    Total Estimated Annual Other Costs Burden: $0.

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

    Dated: February 5, 2021.
Anthony May,
Management and Program Analyst.
[FR Doc. 2021-02873 Filed 2-11-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P