E6-1948. Submission for OMB Review: Comment Request

February 7, 2006.

The Department of Labor (DOL) has submitted the following public information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35). A copy of this ICR, with applicable supporting documentation, may be obtained by contacting the Department of Labor (DOL). To obtain documentation, contact Darrin King on 202-693-4129 (this is not a toll-free number) or e-mail: [e-mail].

Comments should be sent to Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, 202-395-7316 (this is not a toll-free number), within 30 days from the date of this publication in the Federal Register.

The OMB 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 submission of responses.

Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Title: Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).

OMB Number: 1220-0170.

Frequency: Monthly.

Type of Response: Reporting.

Affected Public: Business and other for-profit; Not-for-profit institutions; Federal Government; and State, local, or tribal government.

Number of Respondents: 16,400.

Number of Annual Responses: 132,840.

Estimated Average Response: 10 minutes.

Total Burden Hours: 22,140.

Total Annualized Capital/Startup Costs: $0.

Total Annual Costs (operating/maintaining systems or purchasing services): $0.

Description: The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) will collect data on job vacancies, labor hires, and labor separations. The data are used as demand-side indicators of labor shortages. These indicators of labor shortages at the national level greatly enhance policy makers' understanding of imbalances between the demand and supply of labor. Presently there is no other economic indicator of labor demand with which to assess the presence of labor shortages in the U.S. labor market. The availability of unfilled jobs is an important measure of tightness of job markets, symmetrical to unemployment measures.

Ira L. Mills,

Departmental Clearance Officer.