Sept 6 -- The Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor, invites comments to OMB by October 6, 2022 regarding the continued collection of the Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) and the Report of Federal Employment and Wages (RFEW).
The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program is a Federal/State cooperative effort which compiles monthly employment data, quarterly wages data, and business identification information from employers subject to State Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws. These data are collected from State Quarterly Contribution Reports (QCRs) submitted to State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). The States send micro-level employment and wages data, supplemented with the names, addresses, and business identification information of these employers, to the BLS. The State data are used to create the BLS sampling frame, known as the longitudinal QCEW data. This file represents the best source of detailed industrial and geographical data on employers and is used as the sampling frame for most BLS surveys. The longitudinal QCEW data include the individual employers' employment and wages data along with associated business identification information that is maintained by each State to administer the UI program as well as the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) program.
The QCEW Report, produced for each calendar quarter, is a summary of these employer (micro-level) data by industry at the county level. Similar data for Federal Government employees covered by the UCFE program also are included in each State's report. These data are submitted by all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands to the BLS which then summarizes these micro-level data to produce totals for the States and the Nation. The QCEW Report provides a virtual census of nonagricultural employees and their wages, with approximately 49 percent of the workers in agriculture covered as well.
For employers having only a single physical location or worksite in the State and, thus, operating under a single industrial and geographical code, the data from the States' UI accounting files are sufficient for statistical purposes. However, such data are not sufficient for statistical purposes for those employers having multiple establishments or engaging in different industrial activities within the State. In such cases, the employer's QCR reflects only statewide employment and wages and is not disaggregated by establishment or worksite. Although data at these levels are sufficient for many purposes of the UI program, more detailed information is required to create a sampling frame and to meet the needs of several ongoing Federal/State statistical programs. The Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) is designed to supplement the QCR when more detailed information is needed.
Because of the data captured by the MWR, improved establishment business identification data elements have been incorporated into and maintained by the longitudinal QCEW database. The MWR collects a physical location address, secondary name (trade name, division, subsidiary, etc.), and reporting unit description (store number, plant name or number, etc.) for each worksite of multi-establishment employers.
Employers with more than one establishment reporting under the same UI account number within a State are requested to complete the MWR if the sum of the employment in all of their secondary establishments is 10 or greater. The primary worksite is defined as the establishment with the greatest number of employees. Upon receipt of the first MWR form, each employer is requested to supply business location identification information. Thereafter, this reported information appears on the MWR each quarter. The employer is requested to verify the accuracy of this business location identification information and to provide only the employment and wages for each worksite for that quarter. By using a standardized form, the reporting burden on many large employers, especially those engaged in multiple economic activities at various locations across numerous States, is reduced.
The function of the Report of Federal Employment and Wages (RFEW) is to collect employment and wages data for Federal establishments covered under the UCFE program. The MWR and RFEW are essentially the same. The MWR/RFEW forms are designed to collect data for each establishment of a multi-establishment employer.
No other standardized report is available to collect current establishment-level monthly employment and wages data by SWAs for statistical purposes each quarter from the private sector nor State and local governments. Also, no other standardized report currently is available to collect installation-level Federal monthly employment and wages data each quarter by SWAs for statistical purposes. Completion of the MWR is required by law in 31 States and territories.
Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) Respondents:
https://www.bls.gov/respondents/mwr/
MWR/RFEW submission to OMB:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202204-1220-002 Click IC List for survey instrument, View Supporting Statement for technical documentation. Submit comments through this site.
FR notice inviting comment:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2022-19120
For AEA members wishing to submit comments to OMB, the AEA Committee on Economic Statistics offers "A Primer on How to Respond to Calls for Comment on Federal Data Collections" at
https://www.aeaweb.org/content/file?id=5806