[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 12 (Thursday, January 18, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3432-3433]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00839]


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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 extension of the ``Local Area 
Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) Program''. A copy of the proposed 
information collection request (ICR) 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 March 18, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Carol Rowan, 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: Carol Rowan, BLS Clearance Officer, at 
202-691-7628 (this is not a toll free number). (See ADDRESSES section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The BLS has been charged by Congress (29 U.S.C. 1 and 2) with the 
responsibility of collecting and publishing monthly information on 
employment, the average wage received, and the hours worked by area and 
industry. The process for developing residency-based employment and 
unemployment estimates is a cooperative Federal-State program which 
uses employment and unemployment inputs available in State Workforce 
Agencies.
    The labor force estimates developed and issued in this program are 
used for economic analysis and as a tool in the implementation of 
Federal economic policy in such areas as employment and economic 
development under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 
(that supplanted the Workforce Investment Act of 1998) and the Public 
Works and Economic Development Act, among others.
    The estimates are also used in economic analysis by public agencies 
and private industry, and for State and area funding allocations and 
eligibility determinations according to legal and administrative 
requirements. Implementation of current policy and legislative 
authorities could not be accomplished without collection of the data.
    The reports and manual covered by this request are integral parts 
of the LAUS program insofar as they ensure and measure the timeliness, 
quality, consistency, and adherence to program directions of the LAUS 
estimates and related research.

II. Current Action

    Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for an 
extension of the information collection request that makes up the LAUS 
program. All aspects of the information collection are conducted 
electronically. All data are entered directly into BLS-provided 
systems.
    The BLS, as part of its responsibility to develop concepts and 
methods by which States prepare estimates under the LAUS program, 
developed a manual for use by the States. The manual explains the 
conceptual framework for the State and area estimates of employment and 
unemployment, specifies the procedures to be used, provides input 
information, and discusses the theoretical and empirical

[[Page 3433]]

basis for each procedure. This manual is updated on a regular schedule.

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 continues to 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: Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) 
Program.
    OMB Number: 1220-0017.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: State governments.

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                                                                                          Average     Estimated
                                                                              Total       time per      total
                                       Number of respondents   Frequency    responses     response      burden
                                                                                          (hours)      (hours)
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LAUS 8..............................  52....................           11          572            1          572
LAUS 15.............................  6.....................            1            6            2           12
LAUS 16.............................  52....................            1           52            1           52
LAUS 3040...........................  52 respondents (with             13       98,904          1.5      148,356
                                       7,608 reporting
                                       units).
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    Totals..........................  ......................  ...........       99,543  ...........      148,992
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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, on January 10, 2024.
Eric Molina,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Branch of Policy Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2024-00839 Filed 1-17-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P