Aug 12 -- The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting a Chief Evaluation Office (CEO)-sponsored information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and invites public comment to OMB by September 12, 2022.
DOL programs promote the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights. CEO studies DOL programs, and the populations they serve, through rigorous research and evaluation projects. These include evaluations of existing programs, evaluations of innovative approaches to helping wage earners, job seekers, and workers, research syntheses, and descriptive and exploratory studies. CEO’s research offers further understanding of current programs and service populations, explores options for program improvement, and assesses alternative policy and program designs. CEO works closely with all offices and agencies throughout DOL to develop and implement evaluations that address priorities set by the Secretary and the agencies.
CEO seeks approval of this generic clearance to allow DOL to conduct a variety of formative data collections. Under this generic clearance, DOL would engage in a variety of formative data collections with researchers, practitioners, technical assistance providers, service providers and potential participants throughout the field to fulfill the following goals: (1) inform the development of DOL research, (2) maintain a research agenda that is rigorous and relevant, (3) ensure that research products are as current as possible and (4) inform the provision of technical assistance. DOL envisions using a variety of techniques including semi-structured discussions, focus groups, surveys, and telephone or in-person interviews in order to reach these goals. The findings from this data collection can inform and support future and current research but that are not highly systematic or intended to be statistically representative or otherwise generalizable.
The populations to be studied include key stakeholder groups involved in DOL projects and programs, state or local government officials, service providers, participants in DOL programs or similar comparison groups, experts in fields pertaining to DOL research and programs, or others involved in conducting DOL research or evaluation projects.
Data will be analyzed using well-established qualitative analysis methods, such as coding interviews for themes. Structured response surveys will be analyzed using descriptive statistics and other appropriate statistical methods.
Chief Evaluation Office:
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasp/evaluation
Submission to OMB:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202112-1290-001 Click on IC List for collection instruments, View Supporting Statement for technical documentation. Submit comments through this site.
FR notice inviting public comment:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2022-17335
For AEA members wishing to submit comments, "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