Notice2023-11421
Information Collection Activities; Comment Request
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
May 30, 2023
Issuing agencies
Labor DepartmentLabor Statistics Bureau
Abstract
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 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 (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the proposed revision of the "Current Population Survey (CPS)." A copy of the proposed information collection request can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the Addresses section of this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 103 (Tuesday, May 30, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 103 (Tuesday, May 30, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34543-34544]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11421]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Information Collection Activities; Comment Request
AGENCY: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor.
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.
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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
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 (time and financial
resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood,
and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be
properly assessed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting
comments concerning the proposed revision of the ``Current Population
Survey (CPS).'' A copy of the proposed information collection request
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 of this notice on or before July 31, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Erin Good, BLS Clearance Officer, Division
of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room G225, 2
Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20212. Written comments also
may be transmitted by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a8eae4fbf7f8fae9f7f8ddcac4c1cbe8cac4db86cfc7de"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="21636d727e7173607e7154434d484261434d520f464e57">[email protected]</span></a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Good, BLS Clearance Officer, at
202-691-7628 (this is not a toll free number). (See Addresses section.)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The CPS has been the principal source of the official Government
statistics on employment and unemployment for over 75 years. The CPS is
a monthly sample survey of 60,000 eligible households. The labor force
information gathered through the survey is of paramount importance in
keeping track of the economic health of the Nation. The survey is the
only source of monthly data on total employment and unemployment. The
Employment Situation news release contains data from this survey and is
designated as a Principal Federal Economic Indicator (PFEI). Moreover,
the survey also yields data on the characteristics of persons not in
the labor force. The CPS data are used monthly, in conjunction with
data from other sources, to analyze the extent to which, and with what
success, the various components of the American population are
participating in the economic life of the Nation.
The labor force data gathered through the CPS are provided to users
in the greatest detail possible, in conjunction with the demographic
information obtained in the survey. In brief, the labor force data can
be broken down by sex, age, race, ethnicity, marital status, family
composition, educational level, veteran status, certification and
licensing status, disability status, and other characteristics. Through
such breakdowns, one can focus on the employment situation of specific
population groups as well as on general trends in employment and
unemployment. Information of this type can be obtained only through
demographically oriented surveys such as the CPS.
The basic CPS data also are used as an important platform on which
to base the data derived from the various supplemental questions that
are administered in conjunction with the survey. By coupling the basic
data from the monthly survey with the special data from the
supplements, one can get valuable insights on the behavior of American
workers and on the social and economic health of their families.
There is wide interest in the monthly CPS data among Government
policymakers, legislators, economists, the media, and the general
public. While the data from the CPS are used in conjunction with data
from other surveys in assessing the economic health of the Nation, they
are unique in various ways. Specifically, they are the basis for much
of the monthly Employment Situation report, a PFEI. They provide a
monthly, nationally representative measure of total employment,
including farm work, self-employment, and unpaid family work; other
surveys are generally restricted to the nonagricultural wage and salary
sector, or provide less timely information. The CPS provides data on
all job seekers, and on all persons outside the labor force, while
payroll-based surveys cannot, by definition, cover these sectors of the
population. Finally, the CPS data on employment, unemployment, and on
persons not in the labor force can be linked to the demographic
characteristics of the many groups that make up the Nation's
population, while the data from other surveys often have limited
demographic information. Many groups, both in the government and in the
private sector, are eager to analyze this wealth of demographic and
labor force data.
II. Current Action
Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for a
revision of the Current Population Survey. BLS is seeking approval to
remove two questions that collected information about the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on where people worked. These questions, which ask
about telework or work at home in February 2020, have been included on
the CPS since October 2022 to measure the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on the labor force. BLS feels that enough time has passed
since the onset of the pandemic and its impact on how people work.
These questions would not provide meaningful data going forward.
III. Desired Focus of Comments
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in
comments that:
<bullet> Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the
[[Page 34544]]
functions of the agency, including whether the information will have
practical utility.
<bullet> 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.
<bullet> Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected.
<bullet> 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.
Title of Collection: Current Population Survey (CPS).
OMB Number: 1220-0100.
Type of Review: Revision.
Affected Public: Households.
Total Respondents: 42,500 per month.
Frequency: Monthly.
Total Responses: 510,000.
Average Time per Response: 8.1 minutes.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 68,850 hours.
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, on May 23, 2023.
Leslie A. Bennett,
Chief, Division of Management Systems.
[FR Doc. 2023-11421 Filed 5-26-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P
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