(1) 2010 Consumer Expenditure User Needs Survey and (2) Occupational Outlook Hanbook Survey

OMB Approval No. 125-0059

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY AND CONFERENCE EVALUATION CLEARANCE FORM

A. SUPPLEMENTAL SUPPORTING STATEMENT

A.1. Title:	The Occupational Outlook Handbook Survey
A.2. Compliance with 5 CFR 1320.5: Yes _____ No __X___ Respondents will be asked to complete this survey immediately upon receipt of an invitation.		A.3. Assurances of confidentiality: No assurance of confidentiality is being made.
A.4. Federal cost: $ 9,320 (60 hours of BLS employee work)		A.5. Requested expiration date (Month/Year): 10/2010

A.6. Burden Hour estimates: a. Number of Respondents: 620 a.1. % Received Electronically 85% b. Frequency: One-time c. Average Response Time: 5 minutes d. Total Annual Burden Hours: 64.5 hours

A7. Does the collection of information employ statistical methods? __X__ No Yes (Complete Section B and attach BLS review sheet).

A.8. Abstract:

The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) has been published as a print document since 1949, and at one time, was a best seller at the Government Printing Office. However, print sales of the OOH fell dramatically after introduction of the first privately published version and again when BLS put the OOH on the Web. GPO sold only about 3,500 copies of the 2006-07 edition and only 2,560 sales are projected for the 2010-2011 edition, whereas the Web version receives 6 to 9 million visits monthly, accounting for about one-third of the BLS.gov traffic.

An internal BLS team is currently exploring whether there is a need for a print product among Federal depository libraries and other users of the print edition, and hopes to use a variety of sources, including this survey effort, to answer the following questions:

• Do we need a print version of the OOH?

• If so, what type of content should it have?

• How should the decision be communicated to OOH customers?

Since we lack information about the current population that uses the print version of the OOH, we will use several approaches to attempt to reach them, including:

• Take a random sample of 1,000 customers from GPO’s customer list for the Handbook asking them to complete and mail back a questionnaire or to complete the questionnaire on the Web. For this activity, 500 of the customers will be randomly selected to receive a standard BLS cover letter, and 500 will receive a cover letter that uses “information mapping” formatting. (Estimated response: 200 forms).

• Ask attendees at professional conferences (e.g., American School Counselors Association, National Career Development Association, the National Association of Colleges and Employers) to complete and mail back a questionnaire or to complete the questionnaire on the Web (Estimated response: 50 forms).

• Post an invitation on the home page of professional associations (e.g., American School Counselors Association, National Career Development Association, the National Association of Colleges and Employers) asking members to complete a questionnaire on the Web (Estimated response: 100 respondents).

• Post an invitation on the home page of the Occupational Outlook Handbook (Estimated response: 100 respondents).

• Send a questionnaire to 50 randomly selected Federal depository libraries asking them to complete and mail back a questionnaire or to complete the questionnaire on the Web (Estimated response: 10 forms).

• Send a survey form to the 119 federal prison libraries, asking them to complete and mail back a questionnaire or to complete the questionnaire on the Web (Estimated response: 60 forms).

• Take a random sample of 500 high school guidance offices asking them to complete and mail back a questionnaire or to complete the questionnaire on the Web (Estimated response: 75 forms).

• Take a random sample of 500 college/university career counselor offices asking them to complete and mail back a questionnaire or to complete the questionnaire on the Web (Estimated response: 75 forms).

• Take a random sample of 250 ETA One-stop career centers offices asking them to complete and mail back a questionnaire or to complete the questionnaire on the Web (Estimated response: 100 forms).

All Web responses will be collected using third-party software: Survey Monkey. We will include a required warning about storing data on a third-party server. We expect that it will take the respondents an average of five minutes to complete the survey.

As noted, we will be using the results of this survey for planning purposes.

We are not employing statistical methods because they are not relevant to the goals of the survey.

A copy of the survey questionnaire and insert for printed handbooks is attached.

Program Official

Date

Departmental Clearance Officer

Date

B. SURVEYS AND EVALUATIONS EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

B.1

Sample Frames:

Limitations of the Sample Frames:

Expected Response Rates:

B.2

Sample Size:

Sample Allocation:

Sample Selection:

Procedure for Sample Selection:

B.3

Methods to Reduce Non-Response:

Survey Distribution Procedures:

B.4

Test of Procedures:

B.5

Name	Agency/Company/Organization	Number Telephone
William Mockovak	DOL/BLS/OSMR	202-691-7414

Overview

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) currently produces both online and print versions of the Occupational Outlook Handbook. Since use of the print version has decreased dramatically over the past decade, we are considering dropping the print version and only producing an online (Web) version. However, before doing this, we would like to hear from users of the Handbook to find out how this decision will impact them. We appreciate your feedback. Thank you for your time!

1. A. Please tell us how you use the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH).

• P

  Please answer Questions 1B & 1C

  rimarily use the print version

• O nly use the print version

• P rimarily use the online/Web version

• O

  Please skip to Question 2

  
  

  nly use the online/Web version

• U se both the print and online/Web versions

about the same

B. Why do you primarily, or only use, the print version? (Mark all that apply)

• I don’t have easy access to a computer

• I prefer to use the print version rather than the online/Web version

• I tried to use the online version and found it more difficult to use

• O ther Please explain (if you need more space, see Question 6)

C. If available, would you use a compact disk (CD) version of the Handbook?

• Yes

• No

• N ot sure/it depends Please explain

2. Does the print version of the Handbook serve a purpose that cannot be easily met by the online/Web version?

• Y es Please explain in the space below (if you need more space, see Question 6)

• No

• Don’t know

3. How much of a negative impact, if any, would it have on you if BLS stopped producing the print version of the Occupational Outlook Handbook?

• Significant impact

• Moderate impact

• Little impact

• No impact

4. Although use of the Handbook can vary dramatically over time, which of the following best describes your general pattern of use over the past 6 months?

• Frequent user

• Occasional user

• Rarely use it

• Other - Please explain

5. Which one of the following groups best describes you when you use the Handbook?

• Jobseeker

• Counselor (career, occupational, etc.)

• Teacher /Educator

• Student

• Librarian

• Media specialist

• Business person

• Economist

• Researcher

• Government

• Consumer

• O ther (Please specify) ___________________________________________________

6. We welcome any comments you might have about the possible decision to stop production of the print version of the Handbook or about the Handbook, in general.

Overview

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) currently produces print and online/Web versions of the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Since use of the print version has decreased dramatically over the past decade, we are considering dropping the print version and only producing an online (Web) version. However, before doing this, we would like to hear from users of the Handbook to find out how this decision will impact them.

You can share your opinions with us by completing and returning the attached questionnaire, or by going to the following website:

http://www.xxx/xxx

Thank you!

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of Labor Statistics Concurrence of Customer Satisfaction Surveys Employing Statistical Methods

TO: DATE: FAX:

[Enter program sponsor contact] _____ /_____/______ ______-_____-_______

FROM: PHONE

[Enter name of BLS reviewer] ______-_____-_______

ACTION: Review the attached report proposal, indicate approval or disapproval and return to the Sponsoring agency or program. Comments shall not be made on the proposed report but in the comments space below.

TITLE OF SURVEY OR EVALUATION

CLEARANCE

______ Approved ______ Disapproved (See comments below)

______ Approved with caveats (See comments below)

COMMENTS Think! Privacy Act

(Insert additional pages as needed)

(Attach sheet if additional space is necessary)

Disclaimer: BLS is approving only the statistical methodology as presented in the written documentation, and not necessarily passing judgment on the questionnaire itself nor on the necessity to conduct the collection of information.

SIGNATURE OF BLS REVIEWER DATE

_____ /_____/______

DL-1-150A (Rev. 5/03)