Agency Recordkeeping/Reporting Requirements Under Emergency Review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 57 (Thursday, March 25, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14467-14468]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-7325]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Agency Recordkeeping/Reporting Requirements Under Emergency 
Review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

March 17, 1999.
    The Department of Labor has submitted the following emergency 
processing public information collection request (ICR) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance under the

[[Page 14468]]

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (P.L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). 
OMB approval has been requested by April 1, 1999. A copy of this ICR, 
with applicable supporting documentation, may be obtained by calling 
the Department of Labor Acting Departmental Clearance Officer, Pauline 
Perrow ((202) 219-5095, x. 165). Comments and questions about the ICR 
listed below should be forwarded to Office Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for the Employment and Training 
Administration, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235, 
Washington, DC 20503 ((202) 395-7316).
    The Office of Management and Budget 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 submissions of response.
    Agency: U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training 
Administration.
    Title: O*NET data Collection Program Survey Pretest.
    OMB Number: 1205-0NEW.
    Frequency: The pretest is one time only; the full data collection 
effort will be ongoing and renew information for each occupation every 
five years.
    Affected Public: Employers (includes private and not for profit 
businesses and government); and individuals (employees).
    Number of Respondents: Total: 10,257.
    Estimated Time Per Respondent: Employer response time ranges from 
\1/4\ an hour to approximately 3 and \1/2\ hours. Individual worker 
response time averages \1/2\ hour.
    Total Burden Hours: 5,522.
    Total Burden Costs (capital/startup): $92,165.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): 0.
    Description: The goal of the Occupational Information Network 
(O*NET) Data Collection Program Pretest is to identify the specific 
features which will ultimately increase the response rate for the full 
data collection effort contained in the O*NET Data Collection Program. 
The O*NET Data Collection Program will be a continuing activity to 
develop and maintain a current database on the detailed characteristics 
of workers and jobs. The resulting O*NET database will be the most 
comprehensive standard source of occupational information in the United 
States and will be a valuable tool for all members in the employment 
and training communities. O*NET will be at the center of an extensive 
network of occupational information used by a wide range of audiences, 
from individuals making career decisions, to public agencies and 
schools making training investment decisions, to employers making job 
structure and hiring decisions.
    Information for this data collection activity will be collected 
using a two-stage design, including a statistical sample of businesses 
expected to employ workers in the specific occupations being surveyed, 
and a sample of workers in the occupations within the sampled 
businesses. Using this design, the Pretest will test the use of 
alternative sample sizes per establishment and the use of incentives 
for their impact on business response rates. It will also test the 
impact of alternative outreach methods and monetary incentives on 
improving response rates. The total average burden for businesses is 
not expected to exceed 3 hours and 25 minutes. The total average burden 
for employee respondent is 30 minutes. The findings of this pretest 
will be incorporated into the final ``O*NET Data Collection Program'' 
that will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for 
approval.
    The O*NET, Occupational Information Network, is a complex database. 
Our research has shown that no single system currently exists that will 
accommodate all of the needs of the O*NET database. Therefore, given 
the magnitude and pressing importance of filing the O*NET database, ETA 
will continue to examine alternative methods to populating the 
database.
    ETA's current approach, to go forward with the survey methodology 
while remaining open to parallel approaches, is based on the 
recommendations of the Advisory for the Dictionary of Occupational 
Titles (APDOT). The APDOT concluded that a variety of data collection 
methodologies may have to be employed to populate the database. The 
survey methodology is one way; some information may be more 
appropriately determined through other forms of data collection.
    Therefore, ETA continues to investigate other data collection 
strategies to populate the O*NET database, including collaborating with 
employer association groups, skill standard efforts, expert panels, and 
ETA initiatives and grantees using transactional data from a variety of 
sources.
    By using a multiple source data collection strategy to populate 
O*NET, ETA will avoid duplication of effort thus maximizing the 
government resources while maintaining high validity and reliability of 
O*NET data.
Pauline D. Perrow,
Acting Departmental Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 99-7325 Filed 3-24-99; 8:45 am]
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