SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title of Collection: 2027 National Training, Education, and Workforce Survey.

OMB Control Number: 3145-0264.

Expiration Date: 12/13/2024.

Type of Request: Intent to seek approval to reinstate an information collection for three years.

Abstract: Established within the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 § 505, codified in the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended, the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) serves as a central Federal clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, analysis, and dissemination of objective data on science, engineering, technology, and research and development for use by practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and the public.

The 2027 National Training, Education, and Workforce Survey (NTEWS) is designed to comply with these mandates by improving the measurement of the science and engineering (S&E) workforce in the United States. The NTEWS will integrate three previous NCSES workforce surveys—the NTEWS, the National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG), and the Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR)—to provide national estimates on the employment, education, and training of non-institutionalized U.S. adults (18-75 years old) with a special focus on S&E occupations and degrees, the skilled technical workforce, and the U.S.-trained doctoral S&E workforce (see Table 1).

This integration comes as an effort to reduce respondent burden and streamline collections while continuing to uphold statutory requirements. The consolidated questionnaire has undergone cognitive testing.

The 2027 NTEWS production sample will select new sample members from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2025 American Community Survey (ACS) and the NCSES's 2022-2025 Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED), an annual census of research doctorate recipients from U.S. academic institutions. Returning sample members will be selected from the 2022 NTEWS Pilot, 2025 NSCG, and 2023 SDR, which will provide the needed coverage of and estimation reliability for the U.S. adult workforce across all education levels. The U.S. Census Bureau will serve as the data collection contractor for the ACS-based sample, which includes new sample members from the 2025 ACS and returning sample members from the 2022 NTEWS Pilot and the 2025 NSCG. The new sample based on the SED and the returning 2023 SDR sample will be collected under a separate contractual mechanism.

The Census Bureau also will serve as the data collection contractor for a non-production sample included within this information collection request, the SED Bridge Panel. The bridge panel sample will be selected from the SED. It is considered a non-production sample because its data will not be used to generate official statistics. The purpose of the SED Bridge Panel is to examine the feasibility of a single data collection contractor managing the full set of sample components within the integrated design and to explore potential linkages to supplement and complement the survey data collection with the goal of reduced respondent burden.

The survey data collection for both the production sample and non-production bridge panel sample is expected to begin in May 2027 and continue for approximately six months. Respondents will be able to complete the survey in English or Spanish, either by web or paper. Response to the survey will be voluntary. The ACS-based sample portion of the survey, administered by the Census Bureau, will be conducted in conformance with Census Bureau statistical quality standards and will be afforded confidentiality protection under the applicable Census Bureau confidentiality statutes. The sample based on the SED and the returning sample members from the SDR will be afforded confidentiality protection under the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) of 2018.

Use of the Information: As was done with data from the prior three workforce surveys, NCSES intends to use information from the NTEWS for its two congressionally mandated reports: Science and Engineering Indicators (ncses.nsf.gov/​indicators) and Characteristics of Scientists and Engineers. Public release files of collected data, designed to protect respondent confidentiality, will be made available on the NCSES website ( ncses.nsf.gov/​) and will be accessible through NCSES online data tools ( ncses.nsf.gov/​explore-data).

Expected Respondents: For the 2027 NTEWS production sample, a statistical sample of approximately 341,000 individuals will be contacted. There will be approximately 145,000 returning sample members from the 2022 NTEWS Pilot, 2025 NSCG, and 2023 SDR and approximately 196,000 new sample members from the 2025 ACS and the 2022-2025 SED. For the non-production SED Bridge Panel sample, a statistical sample of approximately 15,000 individuals will be contacted. NCSES expects the overall response rate to be 60-65 percent.

Estimate of Burden: The amount of time to complete the 2027 NTEWS questionnaire will vary depending on an individual's educational history and employment status, but NCSES estimates a median completion time of 35 minutes across both web and paper modes. For the production sample, NCSES estimates that the average annual burden for the 2027 NTEWS over the course of the three-year OMB clearance period will be no more than 43,099 hours [(341,000 individuals × 65% response rate × 35 minutes)/3 years]. For the non-production SED Bridge Panel, NCSES estimates that the average annual burden for the 2027 NTEWS over the course of the three-year OMB clearance period will be no more than 1,896 hours [(15,000 individuals × 65% response rate × 35 minutes)/3 years].

Comments: Comments are invited on (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of NCSES, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of NCSES's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, use, and clarity of the information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and (d) ways to 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.

91 FR 55625