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 pre-clearance

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 ``Report on Occupational Employment.'' 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 March 30, 1999.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in

comments which:

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 Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey is a Federal/

State establishment survey of wage and salary workers designed to

produce data on current occupational employment and wages. OES survey

data assist in the development of employment and training programs

established by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, Job Training

Partnership Act (JTPA) of 1982, and the Perkins Vocational Education

Act of 1984.

The OES program operates a periodic mail survey of a sample of non-

farm establishments conducted by all fifty States, Guam, Puerto Rico,

the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands. Over three-year

periods, data on occupational employment and wages are collected by

industry at the two- and three-digit Standard Industrial Classification

(SIC) levels. The Department of Labor uses OES data in the

administration of the Alien Labor Certification process under the

Immigration Act of 1990.

II. Current Actions

BLS plans to make a major change to occupations surveyed in 1999 by

incorporating the 1998 edition of the Standard Occupational

Classification (SOC) manual in place of the OES Dictionary. Research

also is underway to evaluate any changes needed to specific industry

forms to prepare for the North American Industry Classification System

(NAICS) to be introduced in the 2002 OES survey. This research may

result in the reduction of the number of industry forms and the

introduction of an unstructured form (a form without occupations

listed, sent to small establishments only) for the 1999 survey. BLS and

the States are considering changes to the mail questionnaire in order

to reduce respondent burden, including the addition or deletion of

requests for certain survey items. Research is being conducted on the

collection of OES data by electronic means, including the Internet. BLS

plans to conduct a Response Analysis Survey (RAS) to examine data

collection procedures. This will be the first examination of such

procedures since 1989.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Title: Report on Occupational Employment.

OMB Number: 1220-0042.

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

institutions; and State, Local or Tribal Government.

Frequency: Annual.

[[Page 4719]]

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Number of Annual burden

Forms responding Response time Annual burden hours three-

units (minutes) hours year average

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BLS 2877:

FY 2000..................................... 340,000 .............. 255,000 ..............

FY 2001..................................... 340,000 45 255,000 255,000

FY 2002..................................... 340,000 .............. 255,000 ..............

BLS 2877 RAS:

FY 2000..................................... 4,000 .............. 933 ..............

FY 2001..................................... 4,000 14 933 622

FY 2002..................................... 0 .............. 0 ..............

Total:

FY 2000..................................... 344,000 59 255,933 ..............

FY 2001..................................... 344,000 .............. 255,933 255,622

FY 2002..................................... 340,000 45 255,000 ..............

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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 25th day of January 1999.

W. Stuart Rust, Jr.,

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

[FR Doc. 99-2146 Filed 1-28-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510-24-M