97-15877. Proposed Collection; Comment Request

[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 116 (Tuesday, June 17, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32825-32826]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-15877]


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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 preclearance 
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 Department of Labor is soliciting comments concerning 
the proposed new collection, the ``Applicant Background 
Questionnaire''. A copy of the proposed information collection request 
(ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office 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 August 18, 1997. The Department of 
Labor 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;

[[Page 32826]]

     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarify 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.

ADDRESSEE: Anderson Glasgow, U.S. Department of Labor, Human Resource 
Services Center, 200 Constitution Ave. N.W. Room C-5516, Washington, 
D.C. 20210; Phone: [phone] ext. 115; fax. [phone]; internet: 
[e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Department of Labor (DOL) is charged with providing a wide 
range of services for the diverse workforce which exists in the United 
State. In order to better serve this diverse national workforce, the 
agency needs a diverse internal workforce which reflects and has 
knowledge of the various cultural dimensions of the nation as a whole. 
DOL is interested in seeking internal diversity in order to bring a 
wider variety of perspectives to bear on the range of issues with which 
the Department deals.
    To achieve internal diversity, DOL employment offices have targeted 
recruitment outreach to a variety of sources, including educational 
institutions, professional organizations, newspapers and magazines. DOL 
has also participated in career fairs and conferences, that reach high 
concentrations of Hispanics, African Americans, Native Americans, and 
persons with disabilities.
    At the present, DOL does not have the ability to evaluate the 
effectiveness of any of these targeted recruiting strategies because 
collection of racial and national origin information only occurs at the 
point of hiring. DOL needs to collect data on the pools of applicants 
which result from the various targeted recruitment strategies listed 
above. With the information from this new collection, DOL can adjust 
and redirect its targeted recruitment to achieve the best result.

II. Current Actions

    This new collection will consist of a series of questions to be 
answered by all job applicants external to DOL, and submitted together 
with the job application. The collection will request the applicant's 
name, social security number, sex, race and/or national origin, whether 
or not disabled, and the source of information about the vacancy 
applied for (eg., newspaper, school recruitment, internet, etc.).
    Type of Review: New.
    Agency: U.S. Department of Labor.
    Title: Applicant Background Questionnaire.
    Agency Number: 1225-0000.
    Affected Public: Applicants for positions in the Department of 
Labor who are not current DOL employees.
    Total Respondents: 5000 per year (estimate).
    Frequency: One time per respondent.
    Total Responses: 5000 per year (estimate).
    Average Time per Response: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 417 hours.
    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $2285.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): $3472.
    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 will also 
become a matter of pubic record.

    Dated: June 2, 1997.
Larry K. Goodwin,
Director of Human Resources.
[FR Doc. 97-15877 Filed 6-16-97; 8:45 am]
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