81 FR 48850 - Proposed Collection, Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Bureau of Labor Statistics

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 143 (July 26, 2016)

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. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the proposed request for a new OMB control number for the ``Leave Supplement to the American Time Use Survey.'' A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 143 (Tuesday, July 26, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48850-48851]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17641]


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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 
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. The 
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the 
proposed request for a new OMB control number for the ``Leave 
Supplement to the American Time Use Survey.'' A copy of the proposed 
information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the 
individual listed below in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
ADDRESSES section of this notice on or before September 26, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Erin Good, BLS Clearance Officer, Division 
of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080, 2 
Massachusetts Avenue NE., Washington, DC 20212. Written comments also 
may be transmitted by fax to 202-691-5111 (this is not a toll free 
number).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Good, BLS Clearance Officer, at 
202-691-7763 (this is not a toll free number). (See ADDRESSES section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The American Time Use Survey (ATUS) is the Nation's first federally 
administered, continuous survey on time use in the United States. It 
measures, for example, time spent with children, working, sleeping, or 
doing leisure activities. In the United States, several existing 
Federal surveys collect income and wage data for individuals and 
families, and analysts often use such measures of material prosperity 
as proxies for quality of life. Time-use data substantially augment 
these quality-of-life measures. The data also can be used in 
conjunction with wage data to evaluate the contribution of non-market 
work to national economies. This enables comparisons of production 
between nations that have different mixes of market and non-market 
activities.
    The ATUS is used to develop nationally representative estimates of 
how people spend their time. This is done by collecting a time diary 
about the activities survey respondents did over a 24-hour period 
``yesterday,'' from 4 a.m. on the day before the interview until 4 a.m. 
on the day of the interview. In the one-time interview, respondents 
also report who was with them during the activities, where they were, 
how long each activity lasted, and if they were paid. All of this 
information has numerous practical applications for sociologists, 
economists, educators, government policymakers, businesspersons, health 
researchers, and others.
    The Leave Supplement supports the mission of the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics by providing relevant information on economic and social 
issues. The data from the proposed Leave Supplement can be used for 
research on the relationships between work schedules, job 
flexibilities, access to leave, and time use. These data enhance the 
understanding of peoples' overall well-being. The Supplement surveys 
employed wage and salary workers, except those who are self-employed, 
aged 15 and up from a nationally representative sample of approximately 
2,100 sample households each month.
    The proposed Leave Supplement will collect data about workers' 
access to and use of paid and unpaid leave, job flexibility, and their 
work schedules. The collection of the Leave Supplement in 2017 is the 
second effort to gather data on workers' access to paid and unpaid 
leave. A Leave Supplement similar to the one being proposed was 
attached to the ATUS in 2011 and collected under the ATUS OMB Number 
1220-0175. The proposed 2017 Leave Supplement includes several 
questions that were not included in the 2011 Supplement. This includes 
questions about shift work, advance notice of work schedules, workers' 
control over their schedules, flexible start and stop times, and work 
at home arrangements. These questions will provide an additional 
dimension to analyses of workers' job flexibility data.

II. Current Action

    Office of Management and Budget clearance for a new OMB control 
number is being sought for the Leave Supplement to the American Time 
Use Survey.
    Data about leave currently are available from the BLS National 
Compensation Survey, but these data are collected from establishments 
and do not include information about workers' demographic and household 
characteristics. The proposed questions will provide information about 
workers' access to leave from workers' perspectives and by various 
characteristics such as their sex, ethnicity, race, and the presence 
and age

[[Page 48851]]

of children in the household. The BLS National Longitudinal Survey 
collects some information about leave from employed individuals, but 
these data are available only for specific cohorts and not the entire 
population.
    Information about flexible work schedules is available through the 
CPS Work Schedules and Work at Home Supplement, but the Supplement has 
not been conducted since May 2004. The proposed Leave Supplement 
questions will collect data about leave, job flexibilities, and work 
schedules from a sample of individuals who are representative of the 
U.S. civilian noninstitutional population ages 15 and over, which is 
something existing surveys do not do.

Desired Focus of Comments

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in 
comments that:
     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.
     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.
    Type of Review: New collection (Request for a new OMB control 
Number).
    Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    Title: Leave Supplement to the American Time Use Survey.
    OMB Number: 1220--NEW.
    Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Total Respondents: 5950.
    Frequency: One time.
    Total Responses: 5950.
    Average Time per Response: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 500 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 information collection request; they also will become a 
matter of public record.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 21st day of July 2016.
Kimberley Hill,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 2016-17641 Filed 7-25-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-24-P