Labor Force Statistics (17.002)
Program
17.002 Labor Force Statistics
Federal Agency
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Authorization
Public Laws 58-57, 62-426, 71-537, 82-203, 93-203, 93-567, 94-206, 94-311, and 94-369; 29 U.S.C. 1, 2, 2b,5, 8, 882, 1601.
Program Number
17.002
Last Known Status
Active
Objectives
To provide statistical data on labor force activities and to provide data for analyzing the effect of current and long-run economic developments on employment trend.
Types of Assistance
Project Grants (Cooperative Agreements); Dissemination of Technical Information.
Uses and Use Restrictions
Provide data for: (a) employment and unemployment analysis on the current economic status of workers, based on data from households as well as employment, hours and earnings statistics collected from business establishments; (b) labor force studies, yielding information on such characteristics as educational attainment, work experience, earnings and family relationships; (c) occupational employment statistics, including wages available for a wide variety of occupations, by industry; (d) State and local area labor force employment and unemployment data used for labor market analysis, to identify areas of high unemployment and for allocations of funds under various Federal assistance programs; (e) employment and wage data for States and counties for workers covered by State unemployment insurance programs; (f) mass layoff and plant closing data; and (g) projections of the labor force, economic growth, industry employment, and occupational employment 10-years into the future. Funds in the form of cooperative agreements are available to State Agencies designated by the Governor, usually State Employment Security Agencies (SESAs), for employment, hours and earnings; occupational employment statistics; local area labor force and employment; mass layoff statistics; and covered employment and wages.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
State Employment Security Agencies (SESAs) designated under Section 4 of the Wagner-Peyser Act are eligible to apply for cooperative agreement funding to operate CES, LAUS, ES-202, OES, and MLS programs in the State. BLS may select an alternative applicant if a SESA declines to apply for cooperative agreement funding or otherwise substantially fails to meet BLS application and performance requirements. Requests for technical information may be made by the general public.
Beneficiary Eligibility
General public may request information from the State Employment Security Agencies and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Credentials/Documentation
None.
Application and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
No preapplication is required. Application packages are mailed to each State Employment Security Agency in late spring of each year. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure
Draft and final applications for cooperative agreement funding are submitted to the appropriate regional office of the Bureau of Labor Statistics according to a schedule of key dates.
Award Procedure
Upon submission of an acceptable application and after negotiation of specific program deliverables and costs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics awards cooperative agreement funding to the State Employment Security Agencies.
Deadlines
Cooperative agreements which cover a given Federal fiscal year are executed prior to the beginning of the fiscal year (October 1).
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Appeals
Not applicable.
Renewals
Each fiscal year Bureau of Labor Statistics enters into new cooperative agreements with appropriate State Employment Security Agencies.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
Not applicable Cooperative agreement funding generally is for a single fiscal year.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
None.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
LMI Cooperative Agreement reporting requirements are based on the State Employment Security Agencies Cost Accounting System (CAS) reports or their Financial Accounting and Reporting System (FARS) equivalents. CAS report 65, or FARS Report 11, is submitted monthly. CAS reports 61, and 94B, or FARS Report 12A and 17, are submitted quarterly. SESAs choosing not to use the CAS- or FARS- generated reports must submit the LMI Cooperative Statistics Financial Report in lieu of CAS reports 61, 65 and 94B or FARS reports 11, 12A and 17. This report is submitted monthly for data which would appear on CAS report 65 or FARS report 11, and quarterly for CAS reports 61 and 94B, or FARS reports or 12A and 17.
Audits
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," non federal entities that expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.
Records
Recordkeeping is in accordance with 29 CFR 97, implementing OMB Circular A-102.
Program Accomplishments
Fiscal year 2002 activities: Labor force survey-approximately 60,000 in monthly sample; employment, hours and earnings, about 350,000 establishments reporting monthly; occupational employment statistics - 400,000 establishments reporting during the year; State and local area unemployment statistics-monthly publications for approximately 6,800 areas; quarterly data on employment and wages of workers covered by State unemployment insurance program; monthly and quarterly reporting and publication of mass layoffs and plant closings; began work on the 2002-2012 projections and on the 2004-05 editions of the Occupational Outlook Handbook, Career Guide to Industries, and Occupational Projections and Training Data.
Financial Information
Account Identification
16-0200-0-1-505.
Obligations
(Salaries and Expenses) FY 02 $215,302,506; FY 03 est $218,891,000; and FY 04 est $224,715,000. (Grants) FY 02 $78,143,164; FY 03 est $82,525,000; and FY 04 est $82,368,000.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
The size of each cooperative agreement reflects the staff and non-personal resources required to operate the programs in a State. The range of awards in fiscal year 2003 is from $26,784 (Guam) to $7,650,405 (California). The average is $1,503,208.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
"Employment and Earnings"; "Monthly Labor Review"; "Occupational Employment"; "BLS Handbook of Methods"; "Major Programs of the Bureau of Labor Statistics"; "Publications of the Bureau of Labor Statistics"; "Handbook of Labor Statistics"; "Unemployment in States and Local Areas"; "Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment"; and "Employment and Wages"; "Employment Outlook: 2000-2010"; "Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Spring 2002"; "Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2002-03 Edition (BLS Bulletin 2540)"; "Career Guide to Industries, 2002-03 (BLS Bulletin 2541)"; "Occupational Projections and Training Data, 2002-03 Edition (BLS Bulletin 2542)." Monthly Press Releases: "The Employment Situation"; "Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment"; "Regional and State Employment and Unemployment"; "Real Earnings"; and "Mass Layoffs." Cooperative agreement application instructions, including all applicable regulations, are available from Bureau of Labor Statistics regional offices free of charge.
Related Programs
11.001, Census Bureau Data Products; 11.005, Census Special Tabulations and Services; 17.005, Compensation and Working Conditions; 11.025, Measures and Analyses of the U.S. Economy; 17.004, Productivity and Technology Data.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
Contact the nearest regional office of the Bureau of Labor Statistics listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog.
Headquarters Office
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Department of Labor, Washington, DC 20212. Contact: John M. Galvin. Telephone: (202) 691-6400.
Web Site Address
Examples of Funded Projects
Each State, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and Guam operated LMI Cooperative Agreements.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
Acceptable application and specific program deliverables and cost.
