[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 14, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11317-11319]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03078]


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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

[[Page 11318]]

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 1979.'' A copy of the proposed 
information collection request (ICR) 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 April 15, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Nora Kincaid, 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: Nora Kincaid, 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 1979 (NLSY79) is a 
representative national sample of persons who were born in the years 
1957 to 1964 and lived in the U.S. in 1978. These respondents were ages 
14 to 22 when the first round of interviews began in 1979; they were 
ages 59 to 66 as of December 31, 2023. The NLSY79 was conducted 
annually from 1979 to 1994 and has been conducted biennially since 
1994. 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, and to continue tracing their interactions with 
the labor market as they experience changes in health, family 
situations, and other environmental contexts.
    In addition to the main NLSY79, the biological children of female 
NLSY79 respondents have been surveyed since 1986. A battery of child 
cognitive, socio-emotional, and physiological assessments was 
administered biennially from 1986 until 2012 to NLSY79 mothers and 
their children. Starting in 1994 through 2018, children who had reached 
age 15 by December 31 of the survey year (the Young Adults) were 
interviewed about their work experiences, training, schooling, health, 
fertility, self-esteem, and other topics.
    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 NLSY79 contributes to the formation of national policy in the areas 
of education, training, employment programs, school-to-work 
transitions, and preparations for retirement. In addition to the 
reports that the BLS produces based on data from the NLSY79, members of 
the academic community publish articles and reports based on NLSY79 
data for the DOL and other funding agencies. To date, more than 3,000 
articles examining NLSY79 data have been published in scholarly 
journals. The survey design provides data gathered from the same 
respondents over time to form the only data set that contains this type 
of information for this important population group. Without the 
collection of these data, an accurate longitudinal data set 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 31 of the NLSY79. 
Respondents of the NLSY79 will undergo an interview of approximately 73 
minutes during which they will answer questions about schooling and 
training, employment and labor market experiences, family 
relationships, wealth, and expectations about the future.
    During the field period, about 100 NLSY79 interviews will be 
validated to ascertain whether the interview took place as the 
interviewer reported and whether the interview was done in a polite and 
professional manner.
    BLS has undertaken a continuing redesign effort to examine the 
current content of the NLSY79 and provide direction for changes that 
may be appropriate as the respondents age. The 2024 instrument reflects 
a number of changes recommended by experts in various fields of social 
science and by our own internal review of the survey's content.
    The Round 31 questionnaire includes new questions on the location 
of work that will empower research examining how the growth of remote 
work arrangements may affect the labor market experiences of people in 
this age cohort. It also asks about the respondents' assets and 
assesses their cognitive ability--both areas that have appeared in 
previous rounds of the NLSY79 but not in Round 30.

III. Desired Focus of Comments

    The BLS 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 of Collection: National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979.
    OMB Number: 1220-0109.
    Type of Review: Revision of a previously approved collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.

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                                                                          Average
                                    Total                     Total       time per
              Form               respondents   Frequency    responses     response      Estimated total burden
                                                                         (minutes)
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NLSY79 Round 31 Main Survey....        6,353            1        6,353           73  7,730 hours.

[[Page 11319]]

 
Round 31 Validation Interviews.          100            1          100            6  10 hours.
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    Totals \1\.................        6,353  ...........        6,453  ...........  7,740 (rounded).
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\1\ The difference between the total number of respondents (6,353) and the total number of responses (6,453)
  reflects the fact that about 100 respondents will be interviewed twice, once in the main survey and a second
  time in the 6-minute validation interview.

    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 February 8, 2024.
Eric Molina,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Branch of Policy Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2024-03078 Filed 2-13-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P