[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 165 (Tuesday, August 26, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45275-45276]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-22653]
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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 preclearance
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies
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. Currently, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the proposed
revision of the ``Annual Refiling Survey (ARS)'' previously submitted
as the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 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
addressee section below on or before October 27, 1997. 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, NE, Washington, DC 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 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 47
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 unit.
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 UI laws and are used to measure UI revenues
and disbursements; National, State, and local area employment; and
total and taxable wage trends. The information is further used in
actuarial studies; determination of experience ratings, maximum benefit
levels, and areas needing Federal assistance; and helps ensure the
solvency of UI 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) Program. They also 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 UI Name and
Address File, developed in conjunction with the ES-202 Report, serves
as a national sampling frame for establishment surveys by the National
Compensation Program, Producer Price Index Program, and Occupational
Safety and Health Statistics Program. Additionally, 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
[[Page 45276]]
estimates are instrumental in determining Federal allocation of
revenue-sharing funds to State and local governments. Finally, the ES-
202 Program 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 reviewed periodically and updated if
necessary. For this purpose, the ARS Industry Verification Statement
(both Single and Multiple Worksite), and Industry Classification
Statement (both All Industry and Public Administration) are used in
conjunction with the UI 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 is updated to
reflect the change. As a result of these updates, the industry detail
data that BLS and State agencies publish reflect changes that occur in
the industrial composition of the economy.
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 wages,
as well as the other uses mentioned previously, would be considerably
reduced. All of these programs and uses (as well as others) are
dependent on accurate industrial coding. Inaccurate industrial coding
can also adversely affect payments that business 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 are important since current coding
procedures classify the 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.
II. Current Actions
BLS plans to continue the review of employers' SIC, ownership and
geographic codes on a three-year cycle for the entire UI universe of
accounts, presently numbering approximately 7.2 million. Each year,
approximately one-third of these reporting units, and every five years
all accounts classified in public administration, will be reviewed.
Industry data for the ES-202 Program and UI Name and Address Files are
classified according to industry categories listed in the SIC Manual
(SICM).
The confidentiality statement used on the survey forms, which is
very similar to one of the alternative statements used earlier with
this program, is as follows:
The information collected on this form by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics and the State agencies cooperating in its statistical
programs will be used for statistical and Unemployment Insurance
program purposes, and other purposes in accordance with law.
BLS is submitting a request for three-year clearance of the ARS
with this confidentiality statement. The statement conforms to the
following factors:
BLS uses of the data are exclusively statistical.
BLS may share the data with other Federal agencies for
statistical purposes; however, as in the past, BLS will not share a
State's confidential ES-202 data with another Federal agency unless
that State has given BLS written permission to do so.
BLS makes no confidentiality statement regarding State
uses of the data.
In some States, uses are not exclusively statistical.
Type of Review: Revision.
Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Title: Annual Refiling Survey (ARS), previously submitted as the
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) forms.
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 time Estimated
Form Total Frequency Total per response total burden
respondents responses (hour) hours
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BLS 3023-VS................................... 5,984,250 Every 3 years........................... 1,994,750 .083 165,564
BLS 3023-VM................................... 114,590 Every 3 years........................... 38,197 .75 28,647
BLS 3023-CA................................... 53,000 Annually................................ 53,000 .167 8,851
BLS 3023-P.................................... .............. Every 5 years...........................
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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 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, D.C., this 21st
day of August, 1997.
W. Stuart Rust, Jr.,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 97-22653 Filed 8-25-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-M