Proposed Collection; Comment Request

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

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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