E7-16405. Submission for OMB Review: Comment Request

August 15, 2007.

The Department of Labor has submitted the following public information collection requests (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). Copies of each ICR announced herein with applicable supporting documentation including among other things a description of the likely respondents, proposed frequency of response, and estimated total burden may be obtained from the RegInfo.gov Web site at http://www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain or by contacting Darrin King on 202-693-4129 (this is not a toll-free number)/e-mail: [e-mail].

Comments should be sent to Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attn: Brian Harris-Kojetin, OMB Desk Officer for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW., Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, Telephone: [phone]/Fax: [phone] (these are not a toll-free numbers), E-mail: [e-mail] within 30 days from the date of this publication in the Federal Register. In order to ensure the appropriate consideration, comments should reference the applicable OMB Control Number (see below).

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: Revision of currently approved collection.

Title: Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) forms.

OMB Control Number: 1220-0032.

Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 1,379,661.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 138,235.

Affected Public: Private sector: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-profit institutions; and Farms.

Description: The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program is a Federal/State cooperative effort which compiles monthly employment data, quarterly wages data, and business identification information from employers subject to State Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws. These data are collected from State Quarterly Contribution Reports (QCRs) submitted to State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). The States send micro-level employment and wages data, supplemented with the names, addresses, and business identification information of these employers, to the BLS. The State data are used to create the BLS sampling frame, known as the longitudinal QCEW data.

To ensure the continued accuracy of these data, the information supplied by employers must be periodically verified and updated. For this purpose, the Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) is used in conjunction with the UI tax reporting system in each State. The information collected on the ARS is used to review the existing industry code assigned to each establishment as well as the physical location of the business establishment. As a result, changes in the industrial and geographical compositions of our economy are captured in a timely manner and reflected in the BLS statistical programs.

The ARS also asks employers to identify new locations in the State. If these employers meet QCEW program reporting criteria, then a Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) is mailed to the employer requesting employment and wages for each worksite each quarter. Thus, the ARS is also used to identify new potential MWR-eligible employers.

Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Type of Review: Revision of currently approved collection.

Title: National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979.

OMB Control Number: 1220-0109.

Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 11,265.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 11,044.

Affected Public: Individuals or households.

Description: The information obtained in this survey will be used by the Department of Labor, other government agencies, academic researchers, the news media, and the general public to understand the employment experiences and life-cycle transitions of men and women born in the years 1957 to 1964 and living in the United States when the survey began in 1979.

Darrin A. King,

Acting Departmental Clearance Officer.