[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 184 (Friday, September 20, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49488-49490]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-24191]
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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
[[Page 49489]]
properly assessed. Currently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is
soliciting comments concerning the proposed extension of he ``Standard
Industrial Classification (SIC) Refiling Forms.''
A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be
obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the addressee
section of this notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
addresses section below on or before November 19, 1996. BLS is
particularly interested in comments which help the agency to:
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; and
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.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Karin G. Kurz, BLS Clearance Officer,
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 3255,
2 Massachusetts Avenue N.E., Washington, D.C. 20212. Ms. Kurz can be
reached on 202-606-7628 (this is not a toll free number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The ES-202 Report, produced for each calendar quarter, is a summary
of employment, wage, and contribution data submitted to State
Employment Security Agencies (SESAs) by employers subject to State
Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws. Also included in each State report
are similar data for Federal Government employees covered by the
Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees Program. These data are
submitted by all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and
the Virgin Islands and then summarized for the Nation by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS).
The ES-202 program is a comprehensive and accurate source of
monthly employment and quarterly wage data, by industry, at the
National, State, and county levels. It provides a virtual census on
nonagricultural employees and their wages. In addition, about 40
percent of the workers in agriculture are covered. As the most complete
universe of monthly employment and quarterly wage information by
industry, county, and State, the ES-202 series has broad economic
significance in evaluating labor trends and major industry
developments, in time series analysis and industry comparisons, and in
special studies such as analysis of wages by size of firm.
The program provides data necessary to both the Employment and
Training Administration (ETA) and the SESAs in administering the
employment security program. These data accurately reflect the extent
of coverage of the State Unemployment Insurance laws and are used to
measure UI revenues and disbursements; National, State, and local area
employment; and total and taxable wage trends. Further, the information
is used in actuarial studies; it is used in determination of experience
ratings, maximum benefit levels, and areas needing Federal assistance;
and it helps ensure the solvency of Unemployment Insurance funds.
The ES-202 data are also used by a variety of other BLS programs.
They serve, for example, as the basic source of benchmark information
for employment by industry and by size of unit in the Current
Employment Statistics (BLS-790) Program and the Occupational Employment
Statistics (OES) Survey Program. They are used as the basic source of
place-of-work employment data for non-metropolitan areas in the Local
Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) Program. The Quarterly Unemployment
Insurance Name and Address File, developed in conjunction with the ES-
202 Report, serves as a national sampling frame for establishment
surveys by the Occupational Compensation Surveys, Employment Cost
Index, Producer Price Index, and Occupational Safety and Health
Statistics programs. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the Department
of Commerce uses ES-202 wage data as a base for estimating a large
portion of the wage and salary component of national personal income
and gross national product. These estimates are instrumental in
determining Federal allocation of revenue-sharing funds to State and
local governments. Finally, the ES-202 is one of the best sources of
detailed employment and wage statistics used by business and public and
private research organizations.
To assure the continued accuracy of these published economic
statistics in terms of industrial classification, the information
supplied by the employers must be periodically reviewed and updated.
For this purpose, the Industry Verification Statement (both Single and
Multiple Worksite), and the Industry Classification Statement (both All
Industry and Public Administration) are used in conjunction with the
Unemployment Insurance tax reporting system in each State. The
information collected on these forms is used to review the current SIC
code assigned to each establishment. The SIC for establishments whose
business activity has changed since the last review are updated to
reflect this change. As a result of these updates, the industry detail
data that the Bureau and State Agencies publish reflect changes that
occur in the industrial composition of the economy.
II. Current Actions
If the industrial coding review process were not performed, the
reliability of estimates for industrial and occupational employment,
hours and earnings, producer prices, productivity, and industry wage
data would be considerably reduced. All of these programs and their
uses (as well as others) are dependent on accurate industrial coding in
the design and maintenance of their samples. Inaccurate industrial
coding can also adversely affect payments that businesses and/or
employees receive from contracts that use industrial earnings data for
estimating escalating labor costs.
In addition to obtaining industry data from employers, the Industry
Verification Statement and the Industry Classification Statement are
designed to obtain information on the type of ownership (private
industry or Federal, State, or local government) and geographic
location. The ownership data have assumed greater importance since
current coding procedures classify establishments engaged in similar
activities into the same industry code regardless of ownership. The
geographic information is used to assign or verify the location of the
establishment. Both ownership and geographic data must be reviewed
periodically and updated if necessary, to provide a complete and
current industry/area database by ownership. We plan to continue the
review of employers' SIC, ownership and geographic codes on a three-
year cycle for the entire Unemployment Insurance (UI) universe of
accounts, presently numbering approximately 7.2 million units. Each
year approximately
[[Page 49490]]
one-third of these reporting units, and every five years all accounts
classified in public administration, will be reviewed. Data for the ES-
202 Program and Unemployment Insurance Name and Address Files are
classified according to industry categories listed in the SIC Manual
(SICM).
Type of Review: Revision.
Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
OMB Number: 1220-0032.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-profit
institutions; Farms; Federal government; State, Local or Tribal
Government.
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Average Estimated
Total Total time per total
Form respondents Frequency responses response burden
(hours) (hours)
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BLS 3023-VS................... 5,984,250 Every 3 Yrs................. 1,994,750 .083 165,564
BLS 3023-VM................... 114,590 Every 3 Yrs................. 38,197 .75 28,647
BLS 3023-CA................... 53,000 Annually.................... 53,000 .167 8,851
BLS 3023-P.................... ........... Every 5 Yrs................. ........... ........... ...........
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Totals.................... ........... ............................ 2,085,947 ........... 203,062
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Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): $0.
Comments submitted in response to this comment request will be
summarized and/or include in the request for Office of Management and
Budget approval of the information collection request; they will also
become a matter of public record.
Signed at Washington, D.C., this 17th day of September, 1996.
W. Stuart Rust, Jr.,
Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 96-24191 Filed 9-19-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-M