[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 67 (Friday, April 5, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15310-15312]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-8488]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
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.
Currently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments
concerning the proposed revision of the ``Report on Occupational
Employment.'' 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 June 4, 1996.
BLS is particularly interested in comments which help the agency
to:
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 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 Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey is a Federal/
State establishment survey of wage and salary workers designed to
produce data on current occupational employment and wages. OES survey
data assist in the development of employment and training programs
established by the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) of 1982 and the
Perkins Vocational Education Act of 1984. Planners are required to use
OES data in justifying the need for training programs related to
specific occupations.
The OES programs operates a periodic mail survey of a sample of
nonfarm establishments conducted by all fifty States, Puerto Rico, the
District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, and the Trust Territories
of the Pacific Islands. Over three-year periods, data on occupational
employment are collected by industry classification. The past OES
cycles surveyed manufacturing industries, agricultural services, and
hospitals during the first year; mining, construction, finance, real
estate, and services (except hospitals and education) during the second
year; and trade, transportation, communications, public utilities,
education, and government services during the third year.
The OES wage survey addresses a critical void in the Federal
statistical effort in a manner that is both cost effective and
responsive to data quality concerns. Until recently, wage information
was not provided across all occupations, industries, and Sates. The OES
program started collecting wage data with two pilot surveys in 1989 and
1990. Follow-up response analysis surveys (RAS's) were conducted for
both test years to assess the quality of the date collected. Based upon
the positive results of the RAS's, BLS made the decision to offer a
voluntary wage survey option to all States beginning in 1991. Fifteen
States opted to collect OES wage data.
In 1995, a consortium comprised of officials from State Employment
Security Agencies (SESAs) and the Employment and Training
Administration (ETA) proposed collection of OES wage data in each State
as a means of creating a consistently-developed national wage data base
and for use in the Alien Labor Certification process.
The Immigration Act of 1990
The Immigration Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-649--Nov. 29, 1990) and
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) regulations require that
aliens seeking to enter the U.S. permanently or temporarily for the
purpose of employment be excluded from admission unless the Department
of Labor (DOL) certifies to INS and the Department of State that
qualified U.S. workers are not available, and that the aliens'
employment will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions
of U.S. workers similarly employed.
This process is known as labor certification. In order to obtain a
labor certification, the alien must have an employer who is willing to
make an offer of employment and apply for a labor certification on
behalf of the alien. Any employer applying for a labor certification on
behalf of an alien is required to conduct a good faith test of the
labor market for qualified U.S. workers, and must document all efforts
made to recruit such workers. This good faith test must include
offering wages which equal or exceed the prevailing wage applicable to
similarly employed individuals in the same geographical area.
Therefore, the certification process relies heavily upon having
accurate prevailing wage information readily available. Prevailing wage
data currently are not collected in a systematic manner by the States.
This has led to a process of determining prevailing wages that is both
labor-intensive and cumbersome to the employer and the State agencies.
Difficulties of the Current System of Data Collection
Most States currently conduct occupational wage surveys. In many
instances, State wage surveys have been administered on an ad hoc
basis, meaning they conduct the survey only as the need arises.
Often this results in several surveys being done a year, each
surveying different occupations for different
[[Page 15311]]
purposes. The methodologies employed by these State surveys vary widely
and the resulting data, therefore, are sometimes of suspect quality.
Often the surveys do not include basic instructions needed to
adequately complete the form; others solicit information without
properly defining key concepts for the respondent. These deficiencies
lead to large non-sampling errors and produce unreliable estimates. In
addition, ad hoc State surveys often lack statistically valid sampling
techniques.
Advantages of Using the OES Survey
(1) Produces Valid, Reliable Data
The OES wage survey meets ETA's need for valid, reliable wage data.
The OES wage survey offers comprehensive coverage of more than 750
occupations. Since these occupations are representative of our entire
industrial and service economy, virtually all of the most frequently
reported occupations requested for Alien Labor Certification are
covered by the survey.
The survey covers sufficient geographic detail. Using the OES
survey, it is possible to have any level of geographic detail as
specified before sample selection. BLS currently provides funding for
States to collect State-level data. A number of States use other
funding sources to collect OES data by sub-State areas. Sampling could
be expanded to the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) level and other
sub-State areas to provide occupational wage information for a specific
area or labor market.
The OES wage survey, through extensive pilot testing, has developed
statistically reliable methods of collecting and calculating a mean,
median, and distribution of wage rates for surveyed occupations from 11
OES wage ranges. These mean and median wage rate estimates are valid
measures of central tendency based on statistical research and validity
testing.
The OES survey is a pure probability-based survey employing a large
stratified sample size. The sampling techniques and the rigorous
attention to statistical methods make the OES survey a reliable source
of occupational employment and wage information. The OES survey
generates data which are comparable across States and areas. The
various SESAs that collect OES survey data follow a uniform set of
guidelines established by BLS. This consistency of methodology and
process ensures that data are comparable across States, sub-State
areas, regions, and the nation.
(2) Eliminates Many Individual State Surveys Reducing Respondent
Burden
The OES survey would significantly reduce the burden on respondents
by eliminating numerous State wage surveys that have a total sample of
approximately 1.2 million units per year. Eliminating these surveys
would be especially advantageous for employers operating in several
States who (under the present collection system) could be asked to
furnish differing levels of wage data in various State surveys. The OES
survey would reduce the burden on multi-State units by consolidating
the collection method into one survey and by soliciting information, at
most, once every three years.
Curently, the OES survey's average annual sample size is 240,000.
Added to the 1,200,000 units surveyed by other annual State surveys,
the total number of survey respondents per year is 1,440,000. The
proposed change in the OES survey sample would result in 406,000 units
being surveyed per year. The net reduction in respondents would be
around 1,034,000 per year.
(3) Standardizes the Survey Instrument
Additionally, using the OES survey nationwide would help reduce
respondent burden by standardizing the survey instrument. The OES wage
survey has complete coverage of all occupations in an establishment.
With the OES wage survey, the respondent simply provides the number of
employees in each occupation broken out into 11 wage range categories.
(4) Reduces Costs
One of the most significant advantages of the OES survey would be
the cost-savings to the taxpayer. Currently the ETA spends about $20
million a year to obtain data needed for Alien Labor Certification
purposes. States spend around $5 million to conduct their own non-Alien
Certification related wage surveys from Wagner Peyser or LMI funds.
Additionally, Federal and State governments spend approximately $6
million on models that estimate occupational data for sub-State areas
from State-wide OES data. The data, resulting from the proposed
increased OES sample size, would preclude the need for these models.
Expanding the OES wage survey nationwide would cost an estimated 24
million dollars, generating a net savings of approximately 7 million
dollars.
Additional Uses of OES Wage Data
Historically, occupational employment data obtained by the OES
survey have been used to develop information regarding current and
projected employment needs and job opportunities. These data assist in
the development of State vocational education plans. Nationwide
collection of OES wage data can further develop labor market and
occupational information at the Federal, State, and local levels. The
survey meets the needs of organizations involved in planning and
delivering services provided by the JTPA and the Perkins Vocational
Education Act.
National OES wage data collection can provide a significant source
of information to support a number of different Federal, State, and
local efforts. For instance, occupational wage data can be extremely
useful in the area of Unemployment Insurance (UI). Generally, UI
clients must meet work-search requirements and take jobs with pay
equivalent to their previous employment. Wage data by occupation can
help employment services identify occupations that meet the
requirements of these individuals. Similarly, the dislocated workers
program under JTPA uses previous employment wages as a guide in
preparing dislocated workers for employment. Depending on individual
State laws, the OES survey can provide a standard source of
occupational wage data to assist these workers.
Wage data at the occupational level can assist States in carrying
out vocational rehabilitation programs or assist in the Social Security
disability adjudication process. The data can support U.S. military
interests by providing State and local career information for
Department of Defense workers and uniformed personnel leaving military
service.
OES wage data provide vocational education trainers and enrollees
with information on what occupations are present in the economy as well
as their corresponding wage rates. These data will assist the National
and State Occupational Information Coordinating Committees to develop
occupational information systems designed to aid job searches and
career counselors.
Summary
At present, the Alien Labor Certification and other educational,
training, and employment programs lack uniform, reliable wage data. The
wage consortium comprised of State agencies has proposed using the OES
survey, nationwide, to produce these data for
[[Page 15312]]
five main reasons: (1) The OES survey produces valid, reliable data;
(2) it significantly reduces the burden on the respondent; (3) it
produces the first national wage rate survey with comparable
methodology across all locales; (4) it standardizes the collection
process; and (5) it costs $7 million less than the current system.
As indicated, in addition to the use of wage data with the Alien
Labor Certification process, reliable wage data have many other
practical uses. Wage data can enhance information currently provided
under the JTPA and Perkins Act. OES wage data also can inform important
legal and administrative decisions such as Social Security
adjudication, Unemployment Insurance work-search requirements, or
minimum wage deliberations. Timely and reliable wage information is a
valuable commodity to vocational trainers and enrollees.
II. Current Actions
BLS plans to revise the collection method of the OES survey. The
revised OES survey will continue to be a probability-based sample
survey of nonfarm establishments. Beginning in 1996, the OES survey
will implement three major changes: (1) The sample will include all
industries each year; (2) Estimates will be produced for 360 sub-State
areas; and (3) Wage information will be collected for all States.
Although OES will continue to operate on a three-year cycle, under
the revised sampling procedures the OES survey will collect both
occupational employment and wage information each year for all
nonagricultural industries. To minimize response burden, the new
sampling system will include an establishment, at most, once every
three years. With the revised sampling procedures, the OES survey will
produce employment and wage estimates on an annual basis.
The OES sample is designed to yield reliable estimates by industry
at the national, State, and sub-State levels. The revised OES survey
will allow for estimates in 360 areas (310 Metropolitan Statistical
Areas (MSAs) and other specified sub-State areas.) The sampling frame
will stratify units by industry, geographic area, and by size of
establishment. Establishments that employ 250 or more employees at a
single worksite will be sampled with certainty once every three years.
The revised survey solicits occupational employment information by
wage ranges. A respondent participating in the OES survey will provide
the number of employees by occupation, broken out across 11 wage range
categories. The survey will be a cost-effective, statistically reliable
method of producing occupational wage distributions as well as mean and
median wage estimates. To comply with the Alien Labor Certification
legislation, State agencies will use the OES survey in place of current
State wage surveys. The overall effect on respondents will be a
decrease in burden placed on them by Federal and State government
agencies.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Title: Report on Occupational Employment.
OMB Number: 1220-0042.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-profit
institutions; Federal Government; State, local, or tribal governments.
Total Respondents: 406,000.
Frequency: BLS will conduct the survey annually. Reporting units
will be sampled, at most, once every three years.
Total Responses: 316,680.
Average Time Per Response: 45 minutes.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 237,510 hours.
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 ICR; they also will become a matter of public record.
Signed at Washington, D.C., this 2nd day of April, 1996.
Peter T. Spolarich,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 96-8488 Filed 4-4-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-M
