[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 103 (Tuesday, May 30, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34543-34544]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11421]


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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 ``Current Population 
Survey (CPS).'' 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 July 31, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Erin Good, BLS Clearance Officer, Division 
of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room G225, 2 
Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20212. Written comments also 
may be transmitted by email to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Good, BLS Clearance Officer, at 
202-691-7628 (this is not a toll free number). (See Addresses section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The CPS has been the principal source of the official Government 
statistics on employment and unemployment for over 75 years. The CPS is 
a monthly sample survey of 60,000 eligible households. The labor force 
information gathered through the survey is of paramount importance in 
keeping track of the economic health of the Nation. The survey is the 
only source of monthly data on total employment and unemployment. The 
Employment Situation news release contains data from this survey and is 
designated as a Principal Federal Economic Indicator (PFEI). Moreover, 
the survey also yields data on the characteristics of persons not in 
the labor force. The CPS data are used monthly, in conjunction with 
data from other sources, to analyze the extent to which, and with what 
success, the various components of the American population are 
participating in the economic life of the Nation.
    The labor force data gathered through the CPS are provided to users 
in the greatest detail possible, in conjunction with the demographic 
information obtained in the survey. In brief, the labor force data can 
be broken down by sex, age, race, ethnicity, marital status, family 
composition, educational level, veteran status, certification and 
licensing status, disability status, and other characteristics. Through 
such breakdowns, one can focus on the employment situation of specific 
population groups as well as on general trends in employment and 
unemployment. Information of this type can be obtained only through 
demographically oriented surveys such as the CPS.
    The basic CPS data also are used as an important platform on which 
to base the data derived from the various supplemental questions that 
are administered in conjunction with the survey. By coupling the basic 
data from the monthly survey with the special data from the 
supplements, one can get valuable insights on the behavior of American 
workers and on the social and economic health of their families.
    There is wide interest in the monthly CPS data among Government 
policymakers, legislators, economists, the media, and the general 
public. While the data from the CPS are used in conjunction with data 
from other surveys in assessing the economic health of the Nation, they 
are unique in various ways. Specifically, they are the basis for much 
of the monthly Employment Situation report, a PFEI. They provide a 
monthly, nationally representative measure of total employment, 
including farm work, self-employment, and unpaid family work; other 
surveys are generally restricted to the nonagricultural wage and salary 
sector, or provide less timely information. The CPS provides data on 
all job seekers, and on all persons outside the labor force, while 
payroll-based surveys cannot, by definition, cover these sectors of the 
population. Finally, the CPS data on employment, unemployment, and on 
persons not in the labor force can be linked to the demographic 
characteristics of the many groups that make up the Nation's 
population, while the data from other surveys often have limited 
demographic information. Many groups, both in the government and in the 
private sector, are eager to analyze this wealth of demographic and 
labor force data.

II. Current Action

    Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for a 
revision of the Current Population Survey. BLS is seeking approval to 
remove two questions that collected information about the impact of the 
COVID-19 pandemic on where people worked. These questions, which ask 
about telework or work at home in February 2020, have been included on 
the CPS since October 2022 to measure the impact of the COVID-19 
pandemic on the labor force. BLS feels that enough time has passed 
since the onset of the pandemic and its impact on how people work. 
These questions would not provide meaningful data going forward.

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

[[Page 34544]]

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: Current Population Survey (CPS).
    OMB Number: 1220-0100.
    Type of Review: Revision.
    Affected Public: Households.
    Total Respondents: 42,500 per month.
    Frequency: Monthly.
    Total Responses: 510,000.
    Average Time per Response: 8.1 minutes.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 68,850 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 May 23, 2023.
Leslie A. Bennett,
Chief, Division of Management Systems.
[FR Doc. 2023-11421 Filed 5-26-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P