[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 165 (Tuesday, August 26, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45275-45276]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-22653]


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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 preclearance 
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 ``Annual Refiling Survey (ARS)'' previously submitted 
as the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) forms.
    A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be 
obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the addressee 
section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addressee section below on or before October 27, 1997. BLS is 
particularly interested in comments which help the agency to:
    <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; and
    <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.

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 ES-202 Report, produced for each calendar quarter, is a summary 
of employment, wage, and contribution data submitted to State 
Employment Security Agencies (SESAs) by employers subject to State 
Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws. Also included in each State report 
are similar data for Federal Government employees covered by the 
Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees Program. These data are 
submitted by all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 
the Virgin Islands and then summarized for the Nation by BLS.
    The ES-202 program is a comprehensive and accurate source of 
monthly employment and quarterly wage data, by industry, at the 
National, State, and county levels. It provides a virtual census on 
nonagricultural employees and their wages. In addition, about 47 
percent of the workers in agriculture are covered. As the most complete 
universe of monthly employment and quarterly wage information by 
industry, county, and State, the ES-202 series has broad economic 
significance in evaluating labor trends and major industry 
developments, in time series analysis and industry comparisons, and in 
special studies such as analysis of wages by size of unit.
    The program provides data necessary to both the Employment and 
Training Administration (ETA) and the SESAs in administering the 
employment security program. These data accurately reflect the extent 
of coverage of the State UI laws and are used to measure UI revenues 
and disbursements; National, State, and local area employment; and 
total and taxable wage trends. The information is further used in 
actuarial studies; determination of experience ratings, maximum benefit 
levels, and areas needing Federal assistance; and helps ensure the 
solvency of UI funds.
    The ES-202 data are also used by a variety of other BLS programs. 
They serve, for example, as the basic source of benchmark information 
for employment by industry and by size of unit in the Current 
Employment Statistics (BLS-790) Program and the Occupational Employment 
Statistics (OES) Program. They also are used as the basic source of 
place-of-work employment data for non-metropolitan areas in the Local 
Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) Program. The Quarterly UI Name and 
Address File, developed in conjunction with the ES-202 Report, serves 
as a national sampling frame for establishment surveys by the National 
Compensation Program, Producer Price Index Program, and Occupational 
Safety and Health Statistics Program. Additionally, the Bureau of 
Economic Analysis of the Department of Commerce uses ES-202 wage data 
as a base for estimating a large portion of the wage and salary 
component of national personal income and gross national product. These

[[Page 45276]]

estimates are instrumental in determining Federal allocation of 
revenue-sharing funds to State and local governments. Finally, the ES-
202 Program is one of the best sources of detailed employment and wage 
statistics used by business and public and private research 
organizations.
    To assure the continued accuracy of these published economic 
statistics in terms of industrial classification, the information 
supplied by the employers must be reviewed periodically and updated if 
necessary. For this purpose, the ARS Industry Verification Statement 
(both Single and Multiple Worksite), and Industry Classification 
Statement (both All Industry and Public Administration) are used in 
conjunction with the UI tax reporting system in each State. The 
information collected on these forms is used to review the current SIC 
code assigned to each establishment. The SIC for establishments whose 
business activity has changed since the last review is updated to 
reflect the change. As a result of these updates, the industry detail 
data that BLS and State agencies publish reflect changes that occur in 
the industrial composition of the economy.
    If the industrial coding review process were not performed, the 
reliability of estimates for industrial and occupational employment, 
hours and earnings, producer prices, productivity, and industry wages, 
as well as the other uses mentioned previously, would be considerably 
reduced. All of these programs and uses (as well as others) are 
dependent on accurate industrial coding. Inaccurate industrial coding 
can also adversely affect payments that business and/or employees 
receive from contracts that use industrial earnings data for estimating 
escalating labor costs.
    In addition to obtaining industry data from employers, the Industry 
Verification Statement and the Industry Classification Statement are 
designed to obtain information on the type of ownership (private 
industry or Federal, State, or local government) and geographic 
location. The ownership data are important since current coding 
procedures classify the establishments engaged in similar activities 
into the same industry code regardless of ownership. The geographic 
information is used to assign or verify the location of the 
establishment. Both ownership and geographic data must be reviewed 
periodically and updated if necessary, to provide a complete and 
current industry/area database.

II. Current Actions

    BLS plans to continue the review of employers' SIC, ownership and 
geographic codes on a three-year cycle for the entire UI universe of 
accounts, presently numbering approximately 7.2 million. Each year, 
approximately one-third of these reporting units, and every five years 
all accounts classified in public administration, will be reviewed. 
Industry data for the ES-202 Program and UI Name and Address Files are 
classified according to industry categories listed in the SIC Manual 
(SICM).
    The confidentiality statement used on the survey forms, which is 
very similar to one of the alternative statements used earlier with 
this program, is as follows:

    The information collected on this form by the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics and the State agencies cooperating in its statistical 
programs will be used for statistical and Unemployment Insurance 
program purposes, and other purposes in accordance with law.

    BLS is submitting a request for three-year clearance of the ARS 
with this confidentiality statement. The statement conforms to the 
following factors:
    <bullet> BLS uses of the data are exclusively statistical.
    <bullet> BLS may share the data with other Federal agencies for 
statistical purposes; however, as in the past, BLS will not share a 
State's confidential ES-202 data with another Federal agency unless 
that State has given BLS written permission to do so.
    <bullet> BLS makes no confidentiality statement regarding State 
uses of the data.
    <bullet> In some States, uses are not exclusively statistical.
    Type of Review: Revision.
    Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    Title: Annual Refiling Survey (ARS), previously submitted as the 
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) forms.
    OMB Number: 1220-0032.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; not-for-profit 
institutions; farms; Federal government; State, Local or Tribal 
Government.

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                                                                                                                           Average time      Estimated  
                     Form                            Total                      Frequency                      Total       per response    total burden 
                                                  respondents                                                responses        (hour)           hours    
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BLS 3023-VS...................................       5,984,250  Every 3 years...........................       1,994,750            .083         165,564
BLS 3023-VM...................................         114,590  Every 3 years...........................          38,197             .75          28,647
BLS 3023-CA...................................          53,000  Annually................................          53,000            .167           8,851
BLS 3023-P....................................  ..............  Every 5 years...........................                                                
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      Totals..................................  ..............  ........................................       2,085,947  ..............         203,062
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    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): $0.
    Comments submitted in response to this comment request 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, D.C., this 21st 
day of August, 1997.
W. Stuart Rust, Jr.,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 97-22653 Filed 8-25-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-M