[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 137 (Thursday, July 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41706-41707]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-16774]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Proposed Collection; Comment Request
ACTION: Notice.
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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 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. 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 (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 below on or before September 15, 2014.
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 fax to 202-691-5111 (this is not a toll-free
number).
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 CPS has been the principal source of the official Government
statistics on employment and unemployment for over 70 years. 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, 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 most other surveys are devoid of
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 the
Current Population Survey (CPS). A revision of a currently approved
collection is needed to provide the Nation with timely information
about the labor force status of the population. The CPS questionnaire
has been revised to add three questions on certification/licensure and
remove three questions on educational attainment to avoid increasing
the cost of the CPS and to limit the increase in respondent burden.
These proposed changes would be permanent changes to the survey.
Certification/licensure is a topic that aligns closely with the CPS
goal of collecting information about factors that impact labor market
success, and it is a topic of interest to researchers and policy
makers. The three additional questions will identify whether
respondents have a currently active professional certification or
license; whether any of those credentials were issued by the Federal,
State, or local government; and whether the credential is required for
an individual's main job.
The three educational attainment items that are proposed for
removal were added in 1996 to enable researchers to construct a measure
of continuous years of education. (There were seven educational
attainment
[[Page 41707]]
questions on the 2014 CPS, and the main educational attainment
question, which is widely used, would remain.) All three of the
questions proposed for elimination are about graduate education--
specifically, whether individuals have taken any graduate or
professional school courses since completing a bachelor's degree,
whether they'd completed six or more courses, and whether their
master's degree program was a 1-year, 2-year, or 3-year program. After
conducting a literature search and consulting with stakeholders, BLS
determined that these questions are rarely used.
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.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Title: Current Population Survey (CPS).
OMB Number: 1220-0100.
Affected Public: Households.
Total Respondents: 55,000 per month.
Frequency: Monthly.
Total Responses: 660,000.
Average Time per Response: 7.6 minutes.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 83,600 hours.
Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): $0.
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, this 11th day of July 2014.
Kimberley Hill,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 2014-16774 Filed 7-16-14; 8:45 am]
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