[Federal Register: March 5, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 42)]
[Notices]
[Page 9779-9780]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05mr07-73]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of Disability Employment Policy
[OMB Number 1230-0NEW]
Notice of Proposed Data Collection
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance
consultation process 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 process helps
ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format,
reporting burdens are minimized, collection instruments are clearly
understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents
can be properly assessed. Currently the Office of Disability Employment
Policy (ODEP) is soliciting comments concerning a proposed data
collection for the following Employer Assistance Referral Network
(EARN) survey: Survey of Employer Perspectives on the Employment of
People with Disabilities. A copy of the proposed information collection
request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in
the address section of this notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office shown in the
address section below on or before May 4, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Richard Horne, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of
Disability Employment Policy, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Suite S-
1303, Washington, DC 20210. Telephone: (202) 693-7880. This is not a
toll-free number.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Horne, telephone: (202) 693-
7880, e-mail: horne.richard@dol.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Employer Assistance Referral Network (EARN) is a nationwide
service designed to provide employers with a technical, educational,
and informational resource to simplify and encourage the hiring of
qualified workers. Historically, disability programs required employers
to do much of the work in the finding and hiring of people with
disabilities. The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) of the
Department of Labor has designed EARN to alleviate these barriers and
do much of the work for the employer.
EARN is a service from the Office of Disability Employment Policy
(ODEP) of the Department of Labor. This referral service links
employers with providers who refer appropriate candidates with
disabilities. The service is provided by means of a nationwide toll-
free Call Center.
EARN is a service of the Office of Disability Employment Policy
which was established pursuant to section 1(a)(1) of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2001 (Pub. L. 106-554) H.R. 5656, see Title I,
``Departmental Management'') 29 U.S.C. 551 et seq.; 5 U.S.C. 301.
This service, and the data collection component is authorized
pursuant to Pub. L. 106-554 which direct the Office
[[Page 9780]]
of Disability Policy to provide initiatives such as EARN to ``further
the objective of eliminating employment barriers to the training and
employment of people with disabilities''.
II. Desired Focus of Comments
The Department is particularly interested in comments which:
Evaluate whether the 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 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 responses.
III. Current Action
This proposed collection ICR covers: The Survey of Employer
Perspectives on the Employment of People With Disabilities. The survey
will build on the findings of previous employer surveys, with an
emphasis on current attitudes and practices of employers in 12 industry
sectors, including some high growth industries as projected by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). ODEP is also interested in
understanding employers' perspectives about disability employment by
company size and the particular type of the employer (e.g. Executive,
Human Resources, Equal Employment Opportunity, front line supervisor or
manager). The survey will be conducted by telephone by a survey firm
utilizing computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) capability.
The survey will also solicit free-text comments from employers
regarding the employment of people with disabilities.
Agency: Office of Disability Employment Policy.
Titles: Survey of Employer Perspectives in the Employment of People
With Disabilities.
OMB Number: [1230-0NEW].
Frequency: On occasion.
Type of Response: Reporting.
Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit; Not-for-profit
institutions; Farms; Federal Government; and State, Local, or Tribal
Government.
Number of Respondents: 3,600.
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Estimated
number of Average Estimated
Survey annual response time burden hours
responses (hours)
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Survey of Employer Perspectives on the Employment of People With 3,600 .25 900
Disabilities...................................................
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Total....................................................... 3,600 .............. ..............
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Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $54,270.
Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): $575,254.
Description: The survey is designed to collect data on employers'
perspectives on the employment of people with disabilities. ODEP plans
to use the data to formulate targeted strategies and policies for
increasing the employment of persons with disabilities. Various
industry sectors provide opportunities to increase the employment of
persons with disabilities. ODEP would like to be able to make
comparisons among the industry sectors, including high growth
industries. This survey entails conducting a 20-minute telephone survey
of a representative sample of senior executives representing 12
industries by company size [small (5-249 employees), medium (250-499
employees), and large companies (500 or more employees)]. Westat will
conduct interviews with 3,600 respondents. The survey will utilize a
stratified random sample design. Larger companies will be over sampled,
but all companies will be selected with equal probability within each
stratum. The domains of the population of interest for the survey are
based on company size classes within the major industry sectors. The
size classes are small, medium, and large. The size classes will be
based on the number of employees of the company. A uniform set of size
class boundaries can be used for all industry sectors, e.g., small (5-
249 employees), medium (250-499 employees), and large companies (500 or
more employees). However, size distribution of the companies may vary
considerably across the major industry sectors. Consequently, optimal
size strata boundaries can differ across the industries substantially.
There are a total of 36 (three size classes within 12 sectors) domains
of interest.
The research team will describe the concerns employers have about
the employment of persons with disabilities, and how ODEP's policies
can help employers address those concerns. The survey will also provide
information on steps employers have taken to recruit and hire persons
with disabilities, as well as retain and promote those employees. The
survey will inform disability employment policy and practice by
comparing perspectives of senior executives in firms of varying size
and industry sectors, including some of the fastest growing industries
in the United States. In addition, the results will also inform the
development of ODEP's programs and policies.
John R. Davey,
Director.
[FR Doc. E7-3648 Filed 3-2-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-CX-P