Proposed Information Collection Request Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations; Response Analysis Survey of BLS 790 and ES-202 Reporters

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Proposed Information Collection Request Submitted for Public

Comment and Recommendations; Response Analysis Survey of BLS 790 and

ES-202 Reporters

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

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 is minimized,

reporting forms 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 extension of the ``Response Analysis Survey.''

A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be

obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the address

section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before March 26, 1996.

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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Kurz on 202-606-7628 (this is not a toll free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

This survey is a continuation of BLS' long-term efforts to improve

data quality in the Current Employment Statistics (CES) and Covered

Employment and Wages (ES-202) programs. The CES program (also known as

the BLS 790 program) collects employment, payroll, and hours

information from over 380,000 nonagricultural establishments each

month. The ES-202 program processes employment and wage information

from approximately 6.5 million nonagricultural establishments covered

by State Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws on a quarterly basis, and

provides a virtual universe count of employment. These covered

employers report their employment and wages each quarter on State

Quarterly Contribution Reports (QCR). Employers who have multiple

locations or industrial activities also complete the Multiple Worksite

Report (MWR) each quarter. The MWR disaggregates the employment and

wage data collected on the QCR to its proper geographical locations and

industry.

The employment estimates from the CES are generally published about

3 weeks after the reference period each month. Data from the ES-202

program are generally available 6 months after the end of the reference

quarter. Once each year, BLS adjusts or ``benchmarks'' the CES

employment estimates to the ES-202 levels. Traditionally, benchmark

revisions have been relatively small. Over the past 10 years, the

revision has averaged approximately 200,000 or +/- 0.2 percent.

However, there are isolated instances where revisions have been larger.

In 1994 the preliminary benchmark revision was estimated at 760,000. In

1991 the revision was 640,000, and in 4 other years since 1980 the

revision has exceeded 300,000.

In general, the ES-202 figures are regarded as more accurate since

they represent a virtual universe count. However, there are many

potential sources of error associated with both CES and ES-202 figures,

such as coverage, response and processing errors.

The CES estimates are widely used by policymakers, researchers and

private industry to measure current economic activity. Data from the

ES-202 program provide similar information on a lagged basis. Because

of the potential impact on policy decisions that can result from large

benchmark revisions, it is important to understand and evaluate with

greater precision the various components of nonsampling error in both

data series.

Since 1981, BLS has undertaken a series of special quality

measurement studies of CES respondents to determine the accuracy of the

reported data, and to identify sources of possible error. The most

recent of these was approved under Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) approval number 1220-0089. Improvements have also been made in

the review of the ES-202 data.

The data collected by these surveys are usually available from the

respondents' payroll records. These records can be kept by a variety of

methods, such as hand calculation, internal or external software, or by

a payroll processing firm. However, the reported employment figures may

not be in accordance with the exact definitions used by the CES and ES-

202 programs. The reported employment figures also can differ between

the two programs for each respondent, and may be reported by different

individuals within the firm. The Response Analysis Survey (RAS)

provides a structured approach to identifying the sources of these

differences whether they be definitional or due to processing methods.

It will also contribute to an overall error profile for the CES and ES-

202 programs.

The questionnaire that will be used for the RAS already has been

approved through March 1996. It focuses on the reporting of employment

data in terms of timing, method, source and content. A pilot test of 9

interviews, in each of the original 9 States involved, was conducted.

This test was approved under the last submission. The results of this

test were used to refine the questionnaire and procedures, from which

the rest of the interviews (approximately 8,000) are being conducted.

One State (New Jersey) was added because they expressed an interest in

the project and have previous experience in this area.

II. Current Actions

We are requesting an extension of approval from March 1996 through

September 1996. The Department of Labor Inspector General has

recommended additional quality assurance testing and participating

States require more time for collection of data. Public comments may be

provided on the accuracy of the burden estimates and ways to minimize

burden, including the use of automated collection techniques or other

types of information technology.

Type of Review: Extension.

Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Title: Response Analysis Survey.

OMB Number: 1220-0089.

Frequency: On occasion.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-profit

institutions; State, Local or Tribal Government.

Number of Respondents: 8,000.

Estimated Time Per Response: 30 minutes.

Total Burden Hours: 4,000 hours.

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized

and/or

[[Page 2543]]

included in the request for Office of Management and Budget approval of

the ICR; they also will become a matter of public record.

Signed at Washington, DC, this 23rd day of January 1996.

Peter T. Spolarich,

Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

[FR Doc. 96-1381 Filed 1-25-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510-24-M