[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 242 (Friday, December 17, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79027-79028]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-31697]


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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 
with 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. The 
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the 
proposed reinstatement of the ``Current Population Survey (CPS).'' 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 February 15, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Carol Rowan, 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 fax to 202-691-5111 (this is not a toll-free 
number).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carol Rowan, BLS Clearance Officer,

[[Page 79028]]

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 70 years. 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 report contains data from this survey and is 
designated as a Principle Federal Economic Indicator (PFEI). Moreover, 
the survey also yields data on the basic status and 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, and other characteristics. Since 2009, 
a breakdown by disability status has also been possible. 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 jobseekers, 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 most other surveys are devoid of 
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 the 
Current Population Survey (CPS). A reinstatement, without change, of 
this previously approved collection for which approval has expired is 
needed to provide the Nation with timely information about the labor 
force status of the population.

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.
    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.
    Type of Review: Reinstatement of a currently approved collection.
    Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    Title: Current Population Survey (CPS).
    OMB Number: 1220-0100.
    Affected Public: Households.
    Total Respondents: 55,000 per month.
    Frequency: Monthly.
    Total Responses: 660,000.
    Average Time per Response: 7.5 minutes.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 82,500 hours.
    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): $0.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 13th day of December 2010.
Kimberley Hill,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 2010-31697 Filed 12-16-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P