[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 17 (Thursday, January 28, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7422-7423]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01855]


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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 extension of the ``Occupational 
Requirements Survey.'' 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 March 29, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer, 
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080, 
2 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20212. Written comments also 
may be transmitted by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#98dad4cbc7c8cad9c7c8edfaf4f1fbd8faf4ebb6fff7ee"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="480a041b17181a0917183d2a24212b082a243b662f273e">[email protected]</span></a>.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer, 
at 202-691-7628 (this is not a toll free number). (See ADDRESSES 
section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The Occupational Requirements Survey (ORS) is a nationwide survey 
that the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is conducting at the request 
of the Social Security Administration (SSA). Three years of data 
collection and capture for the ORS will start in 2021 and end in mid-
2024.
    Estimates produced from the data collected by the ORS will be used 
by the SSA to update occupational requirements data for administering 
the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental 
Security Income (SSI) programs.
    The ORS occupational information will allow SSA adjudicators to 
clearly associate the assessment of a claimant's physical and mental 
functional capacity and vocational profile with work requirements. BLS 
will compute percentages of workers with various characteristics, such 
as skill and strength level. SSA will use this information to provide 
statistical support for the medical-vocational rules used at step 5 of 
sequential evaluation regarding the number of unskilled jobs that exist 
at each level of exertion in the national economy.
    The Social Security Administration, Members of Congress, and 
representatives of the disability community have all identified 
collection of updated information on the

[[Page 7423]]

requirements of work in today's economy as crucial to the equitable and 
efficient operation of the Social Security Disability (SSDI) program.
    The ORS collects data from a sample of employers. These 
requirements of work data consist of information about the duties, 
responsibilities, and critical job tasks for a sample of occupations 
for each sampled employer.

II. Current Action

    Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for the 
Occupational Requirements Survey.
    The ORS collects data on the requirements of work, as defined by 
the SSA's disability program:
    (1) An indicator of ``time to proficiency,'' defined as the amount 
of time required by a typical worker to learn the techniques, acquire 
the information, and develop the facility needed for average job 
performance, comparable to the Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) 
used in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT).
    (2) Physical Demand characteristics/factors of occupations, 
measured in such a way to support SSA disability determination needs, 
comparable to measures in Appendix C of the Selected Characteristics of 
Occupations (SCO).
    (3) Environmental Conditions, measured in such a way to support SSA 
disability determination needs, comparable to measures in Appendix D of 
the SCO.
    (4) Data elements that describe the mental and cognitive demands of 
work.
    (5) Occupational task lists of occupations, defined as the critical 
job function and key job tasks, to validate the reported requirements 
of work, comparable to data identified in the Employment and Training 
Administration's (ETA's) O*NET Program.
    The ORS data is collected using a two-stage stratified design and 
includes sample cell definitions and allocations to accommodate the 
goal to produce estimates for as many occupations as possible. 
Occupations for private industry establishments are selected before the 
sample is fielded. Occupational selection for government units 
generally occurs after establishment contact. The probability of an 
occupation being selected after the sample is fielded will be 
proportionate to its employment within the establishment.
    BLS will disseminate the data from the ORS on the BLS public 
website (www.bls.gov/ors). The design uses a five-year rotation with 
complete estimates published after the full sample has been collected. 
Interim results will be produced and disseminated on an annual basis.
    ORS collection uses several forms (having unique private industry 
and government collection versions). For those sampled establishments 
that are in the current National Compensation Survey (NCS), ORS uses 
NCS data and forms for those data elements that overlap.
    ORS data are defined to balance SSA's adjudication needs with the 
ability of the respondent to provide data. With this clearance, BLS is 
continuing collection of existing data.

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 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: Occupational Requirements Survey.
    OMB Number: 1220-0189.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit; not-for-profit 
institutions; and State, local, and tribal government.
    All figures in the table below are based on a three-year average.

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                                                                                          Average
                                                                       Respondents     responses per   Total number of  Average minutes    Total hours
                                                                                            year          responses
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Three-year average.................................................          11,200             1.04           11,700              107           20,947
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                            Collection Forms
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Occupational Requirements Survey  List form numbers,  Name form,
 (Private Industry Sample).        ORS Form 15-1P,     Establishment
                                   ORS Form 4 PPD-     Collection Forms
                                   4PF, ORS Form 4     for Private
                                   PPD-4PAF.           Industry.
Occupational Requirements Survey  List form numbers,  Name form,
 (State and local government       ORS Form 15-1G,     Establishment
 sample).                          ORS Form 4 PPD-     Collection Forms
                                   4GF, ORS Form 4     for Governments.
                                   PPD-4GAF.
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    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 22nd day of January 2021.
Mark Staniorski,
Chief, Division of Management Systems.
[FR Doc. 2021-01855 Filed 1-27-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P


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