August 24 -- The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) invites public review and comment to OMB by September 23, 2021 of the 2022 Current Population Survey (CPS) Unemployment Insurance (UI) Non-filer Supplement.
The February and May 2022 CPS Unemployment Insurance (UI) Non-Filer Supplement will be conducted at the request of the Department of Labor's Chief Evaluation Office. The supplement was last collected in May and September of 2018. The 2022 UI Non-Filer Supplement questionnaire is unchanged from the questionnaire used for the 2018 supplement. The supplement will be sponsored by the Department of Labor's Chief Evaluation Office (CEO).
The UI Non-Filer Supplement will gather information on people who are unemployed as well as on a subset of those who are not in the labor force. Information will be collected about UI participation and reasons for not participating. The supplement also contains questions about people's job search experience, such as information about jobs for which they have applied and whether they would accept a job similar to their last job but at lower pay. Additionally, this supplement contains questions about the job search process of unemployed individuals and the difficulties these seekers have in finding new employment.
Because this supplement is part of the CPS, the same detailed demographic information collected in the CPS will be available on respondents to the supplement. Comparisons between UI filers and non-filers will be possible across characteristics such as sex, race and ethnicity, age, and educational attainment.
UI benefits provide temporary financial assistance to the unemployed who meet certain eligibility criteria and can also help protect the economy during economic downturns. Unemployment increased dramatically in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, making updated information of paramount importance. Data gathered in this supplement will help measure the effectiveness of current UI programs, identify possible shortcomings in existing UI programs, and assist policy makers in developing more effective policies.
2018 CPS UI Non-filer Supplement data release (Tables 3 and 5):
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/uisup.toc.htm
Proposed 2022 CPS UI Non-filer Supplement:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202104-1220-004 Click IC List for survey instrument, View Supporting Statement for technical documentation. Submit comment through this site.
FR notice inviting public review and comment:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/08/24/2021-18140/agency-information-collection-activities-submission-for-omb-review-comment-request-current
Point of contact: Dorinda Allard, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Division of Labor Force Statistics. BLS (202) 691-6470 Allard.Dorinda@bls.gov
For AEA members wishing to submit comments to OMB, "A Primer on How to Respond to Calls for Comment on Federal Data Collections" is available at
https://www.aeaweb.org/content/file?id=5806