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.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the

ADDRESSES section of this notice on or before October 26, 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, N.E., Washington, DC 20212. Ms. Kurz can be

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karin G. Kurz, BLS Clearance Officer.

(See ADDRESSES section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Proposed Collection

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments

concerning the proposed new collection of the ``Job Openings and Labor

Turnover Survey (JOLTS).'' A copy of the proposed information

collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the individual

listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

II. Background

The JOLTS will provide data on job vacancies, labor hires, and

labor separations. The data can be used as demand-side indicators of

labor shortages. These indicators of labor shortages at the national

level would greatly enhance policy makers' understanding of imbalances

between the demand and supply of labor. Presently there is no economic

indicator of the demand for labor with which to assess the presence of

labor shortages in the U.S. labor market. The availability of unfilled

jobs (the number of job vacancies or the vacancy rate) is an important

measure of tightness of job markets, parallel to existing measures of

unemployment.

JOLTS statistics will reveal structural labor market conditions,

such as the effectiveness of job matching and training processes,

implications of unemployment insurance and welfare, and deficient

demand for labor.

JOLTS statistics can be used for the following purposes:

As an indicator of business cycles and their causes and

consequences;

As a basic economic indicator of growth, productivity and

welfare;

As a tool for considering the implications of unemployment

policy, labor market policy; and

As an indicator of inflation and wage growth.

The ratio of the unemployment rate to the vacancy rate can be a

very powerful indicator and reveal important information about how to

effectively manage unemployment. As recently as 1998, Robert M. Solow

in Proceedings of the British Academy noted that, ``. . . national

unemployment counts exist almost everywhere, whereas vacancy statistics

are quite rare.''

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III. Current Actions

The information will be collected once a month using Computer

Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) and Touch-tone Data Entry (TDE).

An establishment will be included in the sample for 18 consecutive

months.

During the first six months of data collection, the interviewer

will call the respondent and conduct the interviews over the telephone

using CATI. During these interviews, the interviewer will prepare the

respondent for transition to TDE. The data for the establishment's

final twelve months in the sample will be collected via TDE.

The following data elements will be collected:

Total Employment;

Total Number of Job Openings;

Total Hires;

Quits;

Layoffs and Discharges; and

Other Separations.

The reference period for the data are the pay period including the

12th of the month for Total Employment, the last business day of the

month for Job Openings, and the entire month for Hires and Separations.

The information will be published monthly by combined North

American Industry Classification System sector, at the National level

and total non-agriculture level, by Census region. The data will be

made public via press release and on the BLS Web site.

Type of Review: New collection.

Agency: The Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Title: Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.

OMB Number: BLS-1411.

Affected Public: Federal Government; State or local governments;

Businesses or other for-profit; Not-for-profit institutions; Small

businesses or organizations.

Total Respondents:: 16,000.

Frequency: Monthly.

Total Responses: 111,440 (annual average).

Average Time Per Response: 6 minutes.

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 11,144 (annual average).

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

Signed at Washington, DC, this 23rd day of August 1999.

Karen A. Krein,

Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor

Statistic.

[FR Doc. 99-22336 Filed 8-26-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510-24-M