[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 17, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7912-7913]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-3876]
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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
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 ``Hours at Work Survey.''
A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be
obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the address
section of this notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
addresses section below on or before April 19, 1999.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in
comments with:
Evaulate 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;
Evaulate 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 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
It has been long recognized by experts in the field of productivity
measurement and analysis that the appropriate measure of labor input
for productivity statistics is hours worked rather than hours paid. The
importance of this distinction was further emphasized by
recommendations of the Panel to Review Productivity Statistics of the
National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences. In the mid-
1970s, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) established a task force to
review existing programs and surveys and to determine the most
efficient procedure for measuring hours worked. Based on the findings
and recommendations of that task force, BLS developed the Hours at Work
Survey (HWS) that has provided a unique data series for assessing
productivity since 1982.
The HWS collects data for production and non-supervisory worker for
each of the major industrial sectors of the nonagricultural economy on
a yearly basis. Data are collected for the number of hours worked and
hours paid in order to construct ratios of hours worked and hours paid,
which then are used to convert hours paid data from the Current
Employment Statistics (CES) program to hours at work, for use in the
development of productivity statistics. Hours at work exclude paid
leave (holidays, vacations, sick and personal or administrative leave
such as personal business, funeral leave, and jury duty) while hours
paid do not. Productivity is better measured as the ratio of output to
hours spent in production. The collection of information on hours at
work must be done annually because of the cyclical sensitivity of
productivity measures.
II. Current Actions
Ratios of hours at work to hours paid are needed to measure labor
input for productivity statistics. The ratios of hours at work to hours
paid provided by this survey are used to convert hours paid, which are
based on data from the CES Program, to hours at work. The resulting
hours at work measures then are incorporated into the BLS labor and
multifactor productivity statistics published annually and quarterly.
Based on results of a 1992 Response Analysis Survey (RAS), BLS
identified some areas of concern that led to changes in wording,
content, and format of instructions, and a new HWS questionnaire
layout. The redesigned HWS is intended to improve the quality of the
data in the survey by reducing errors due to questionnaires or from
respondents and interviewers; to increase the proportion of responses
obtained by mail; and to improve Computer Assisted Telephone
Interviewing (CATI) follow-up data collection so that CATI data are
more consistent with data obtained by mail.
The redesigned HWS questionnaire has undergone some changes to
reduce the survey's response burden. HWS data now are requested only
annually. The questionnaire is respondent-friendly with instructions
close to the questions, an uncluttered appearance, questions that
better fit respondent data sources, and questions that result in
higher-quality data.
BLS is adding a RAS to the HWS to evaluate the quality of the data
obtained from the survey, including the accuracy of the responses
provided and the extent to which respondents have the requested
information readily available.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Title: Hours at Work Survey.
OMB Number: 1220-0076.
Affected Public: Business and other for profit.
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Estimated
Form Total number Frequency Total annual Average minutes per response total annual
of respondents responses burden hours
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BLS 2000N.............................. 2,500 Annually....................... 2,500 1 Hour........................ 2,500
BLS 2000P.............................. 3,500 Annually....................... 3,500 1 Hour........................ 3,500
RAS.................................... 1000 One Time....................... 1,000 15 min........................ 250
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Totals........................... 6,000 ............................... 7,000 .............................. 6,250
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Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): $0.
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 11th day of February 1999.
W. Stuart Rust, Jr.,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 99-3876 Filed 2-16-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-M
