Jobs Challenge Supporting Statement for Review v2 (2)

Supporting Statement for Emergency Approval: Jobs for America’s Job Seekers - Challenge

A. Justification.

A-1. Reasons for Data Collection.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (The Recovery Act) was signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009—Division A Title VIII, P.L. 111-5. The Recovery Act is intended to preserve and create jobs, promote the nation’s economic recovery, and assist those most impacted by the recession. The Recovery Act provides the U.S. Department of Labor and the public workforce investment system with unprecedented levels of funding for a number of employment and training programs to help American workers acquire new skills and get back to work. The programs impacted by the Act include Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Title IB; Wagner-Peyser Act, including Reemployment Services Grants; and National Emergency Grants.

In today’s tight employment market that has experienced a 10.2 percent unemployment rate that is the highest in 26 years, the publicly funded workforce investment system has a major responsibility to maximize unemployed workers’ opportunities for rapid reemployment by quickly connecting them to the full scope of available jobs. We know the workforce system is working hard to connect workforce system customers to the best job search resources available. However, as a result of technological innovations, new job search tools have been launched and new tools are emerging daily that help job seekers find jobs and target their search to the most relevant employment opportunities.

The Department of Labor, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) wants to support the workforce investment systems efforts by identifying the best on-line job search and job matching tools. Through an on-line Challenge and using Web 2.0 social media Crowdsourcing techniques, ETA will identify several good tools based on online exploration, tool review, and ratings by members of the public, job seekers, One Stop Career Center staff, and our partners in the workforce development system.

The Challenge will consist of three phases. Phase 1 will run from November 30, 2009 to December 18, 2009. In this phase, tool creators and developers will submit information on their free online job search and job matching tools. These tools must be free to the job seeker, but can be licensed by the workforce system at the State or local level provided the companies offer a short-term demo or other platform that allows the tools to be accessed and reviewed free of charge. Tool submissions will be accepted from businesses, nonprofits organizations, entrepreneurs, and state and local workforce agencies. The tools will be organized into one or more of the following categories:

• General job boards, listing sites, and aggregators

• Niche job boards

• Career advancement tools

• Web based career exploration sites

• Web 2.0 / social media sites specializing in job searches or job postings

• Other job tools

Phase 2 will run from January 4 to January 15, 2010. During this phase, workforce system experts and job seekers will review and vote on the submitted job search and matching tools. Reviewers will be encouraged to consider a tool’s usability based on how effective the tool is in providing accurate results, how efficient it is in completing job search and matching tasks in a reasonable amount of time, and the level of satisfaction the user felt.

Phase 3 will begin on January 18, 2010. In this final phase, DOL, ETA, and the White House will communicate the top tools in each category with the entire workforce development community and job seekers through a variety of mediums, including:

1. Posting an announcement of the top ranking tools on key Web sites including;

   1. DOL.gov

   2. Doleta.gov

   3. White House OSTP blog

   4. Workforce3one.org

   5. Other sites

2. Highlighting free tools on ETA’s www.CareerOneStop.org portal, which already houses a variety of tools for the workforce system;

3. Hosting Webinars featuring the top ranking tools on Workforce3one.org;

4. Utilizing other communication outlets such as national associations and Intergovernmental organizations like the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, the National Association of Workforce Boards, the National Governor’s Association, the National Association of Counties, and the Association of Community Colleges.

As a result of the Challenge, the workforce development system will quickly boost its capacity to meet the job information needs of the significantly increased number of customers requiring service in the current economic recovery effort.

ETA and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy have been proactive in consulting with workforce development system leaders. On September 14, 2009, ETA discussed the conceptual design of the Challenge with the Board of Director of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA). The reaction was supportive and several suggestions for improvements were proposed by the State Workforce Agency Administrators who participated. In addition, the membership of the Workforce Information Council that includes leadership from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and ten State Workforce Agency Labor Market Information Directors were briefed on the Challenge. ETA has also reached out to the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) and arrangements are being finalized for a similar consultation with the NAWB Board of Directors.

A-2. Users, Purposes, and Consequences of Failure to Collect the Information.

The purposes, goals, and the urgent need for the Challenge are discussed in section A1. Expedited approval of this data collection will enable the Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA), and the White House to respond aggressively to the record unemployment rates. Failure to do the collection would result in a waste of federal Recovery Act and state resources. Many states and local areas are individually searching for job matching and job search solutions to meet the significantly increased number of job seekers in need of assistance in One Stop Career Centers nationwide as a result of the historic downturn in the nation’s economy.

ETA, DOL, the White House, and others will communicate the results of the Challenge broadly to the state workforce agencies and workforce investment boards through a variety of mediums, including:

1. Posting an announcement of the top ranking tools on key Web sites including;

   1. DOL.gov

   2. Doleta.gov

   3. White House OSTP blog

   4. Workforce3one.org

   5. Other sites

2. Highlighting free tools on ETA’s www.CareerOneStop.org portal, which already houses a variety of tools for the workforce system;

3. Hosting Webinars featuring the top ranking tools on Workforce3one.org;

4. Linking to other communication outlets including sharing the results with various national associations and Intergovernmental organizations such as the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, the National Association of Workforce Boards, the National Governor’s Association, the National Association of Counties, and the Association of Community Colleges.

As a result of the Challenge, the entire workforce development system will immediately gain new tools and an expanded capacity to meet the job information needs of the significantly increased number of customers in the economic recovery effort.

A-3. Technology and Obstacles Affecting Reporting Burden.

There are no obstacles. A tool researched and approved by the General Services Administration (GSA) and made available through GSA Apps.gov (https://www.apps.gov/) Web site will be used to collect tools and service options submitted by public and private sector organizations. Once these are screened and links to the tools are placed on a Crowdsourcing Web site, information will be made available to SWAs, State and local Workforce Investment Boards, One Stop Career Centers, and their customers to test-drive the tools. A Web-based system will be used to offer the workforce investment system and the public the opportunity to provide feedback on the tools using a Web-based crowd sourcing approach that allows participants to “rate” the best solutions.

A-4. Duplication.

There is no duplication.

A-5. Small Business.

Small businesses may submit a tool or service approach for consideration but no substantial burden is expected. Small business may actually reap a benefit resulting from having the opportunity to be recognized and viewed by many potential customers.

A- 6. Consequences of Less Frequent Data Collection.

This is a one time collection. Consequences of not performing the collection are described in number 2 above.

A-7. Special Circumstances Involved in Collection of Data.

There are no special circumstances.

A-8. Preclearance Notices and Responses.

On September 14, 2009, ETA consulted with nine members of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) and NASWA executive staff. The board actively engaged in the Web-based meeting and made several suggestions for improvement including opening the competition to state developed tools. ETA has also engaged the National Association of Workforce Boards to continue the consultation with target audiences. In addition, a pre-clearance notice about this emergency request will be published for a public comment period in the Federal Register.

A-9. Payments to Respondents.

There are no payments to respondents.

A-10. Confidentiality.

No confidential information is collected.

A-11. Questions of a Sensitive Nature.

The data collection includes no questions of a sensitive nature.

A-12. Respondents’ Burden and Cost of Collecting Information.

Phase One:

The following data will be collected from tool submitters and the public:

Tool submitters (e.g. companies, non-profit organizations, states government entities):

1. Name of the tool/product;

2. Category of the tool (job bank or job board, niche job bank, social media tool, etc.);

3. Description/write up of the tool/product;

4. Target uses and users of the tool/product;

5. Corporate contact information;

   1. Website,

   2. Email address,

   3. Address,

   4. Phone (optional),

Optional

6. 30 to 60 second You Tube video of the product in action (optional);

7. Product tags or word cloud (optional); and

8. Screenshots, jpg, word documents, pdf, etc. relating to the product (optional).

Based on a series of in-office data entry simulation tests, data entry took as maximum of 10 minutes to complete for a tool that is operational and is ready for user testing.

We estimate a maximum of 1,000 tool submissions from a combination of businesses, non-profit organizations, and state government entities, with 66% being from the business community and 34% from state, local, and tribal governments. The total estimated burden is approximately 10,000 minutes or 167 hours.

Phase Two:

Crowdsource participants from the publicly funded workforce investment system including state workforce agencies, workforce investment boards, One Stop Career Center staff, education partners, job seekers, and the general public will be asked to review and vote up or down on selected tools. Crowdsource participants will also be asked to provide comments on the tools they review.

To access the tools during the assessment period crowdsource participants will be asked to provide the following data:

1. User name (any combination of letters, numbers, or characters will be accepted);

2. Password (used to prevent spam comments);

3. Email address;

4. Zip code; and

5. Workforce Force Status – selecting a descriptive category such as;

   1. Unemployed- seeking a job

   2. Employed - seeking a new job

   3. State workforce agency

   4. OneStop staff

   5. State or local workforce investment board staff/member

   6. Other

6. Crowd Source votes – Thumbs Up or /Down votes

7. Comments on job search tools (optional)

Based on a series of in-office data entry simulation tests, no more than five minutes was needed to complete the crowdsource participant data entry, to gain access to the voting system, to rate a tool(s), and to submit a comment.

We estimate that a maximum of 10,000 individuals will participate in the crowdsourcing portion of the Challenge from a combination of participants in workforce investment service delivery system, One Stop Career Centers, training programs, educational institutions, and the public who learn about the Challenge from the media and ETA’s communication plan. We estimate that each will rate one to three tools, for an average of two tools rated per participant.

10,000 participants at 5 minutes per tool x two tools = 10 minutes x 10,000 participants divided by 60 minutes = 1,666.6 hours;

Added to the upper estimate of 167 hours for the identification of job search and job matching tools, the total burden is {167 + 1667 (1666.66) hours} for a total of 1,833 hours.

To estimate the cost burden to respondents, both government and business, ETA chose a mid-level government salary from a Midwestern state. At a Federal salary rate for a GS 12 Step 5 in Saint Paul Minneapolis the annual salary is $81,001 in FY 2009. Assuming a 40-hour workweek and 52.1777 weeks a year, a GS 12 Step 5 is paid $38.81 per hour.

$81,001 / (52.1777 x 40 = 2087.11) = $38.81 ($39.00 an hour) x 1833 hours = $71,487 is the estimated burden cost.

Phase Three:

Phase Three will consist wholly of ETA’s communication back to participants.

A-13. Annual Cost to Respondents.

There are no annualized costs to respondents.

 

A-14.  Annualized Federal Cost.

The Jobs for America’s Job Seekers Challenge will be conducted and completed in the three-month period from November 2009 through January 2010.  During this period, federal staff will:

• Assist Ideascale.com the crowdsourcing service provider to design and launch the data collection platform;

• Monitor/moderate the job matching tools data input;

• Monitor/moderate the voting and comments on the crowdsourcing site to assure that no inappropriate data or comments are posted to the site;

• Review and analyze the crowdsource input; and

• Develop communications in the form of website postings, webinars, training and employment notices, and other forms of communications to disseminate the initial results of the Challenge.

Multiple ETA staff at various grades and salary levels has and will participate in and support the Challenge.  When totaled, staff time could reach one full time staff equivalent.  This effort will include staff work for a period before and after the core three-months of Challenge activity. 

Federal staff cost is estimated to be equivalent to a GS 13 at the fifth step in the Washington DC area is $98,518.    Added to this is 30% of the wage or $29,555 for fringe benefits for a total of $128,073.  In addition, the Ideascale.com platform customization will cost the Federal government $2,999.

The annualized Federal cost is approximately $131,072.

A-15. Reasons for Change in Burden.

This is a new one time data collection.

A-16. Publication Information.

A Federal Register Notice announcing the three phases of the Job for America’s Job Seekers Challenge data collection will be issued.

A-17. Display of OMB Expiration Date.

The proposed web-based data collection instrument will display the approved OMB control number, expiration date, and burden statement.

18. Exceptions to the Certification Statement.

There are no exceptions to the certification statement.

B. Use of Statistical Methods

This collection does not employ statistical methods.

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