National Agriculture Workers Survey (NAWS) provides an understanding of the manpower resources available to U.S. agriculture. It is the national source of information on the demographic, occupational health and employment characteristics of hired crop workers.
There will be a total decrease of 1,784 burden hours, most of which is associated with changes to sample size. ETA based the previous burden estimates on a target sample size of 3,369 crop workers. However, funding was only available to interview approximately 1,500 crop workers in each of the last two years. ETA assumes that FY 2020 funding will support a sample size of 1,500. This change accounts for a decrease of 2,244 hours.
ETA attributes another part of the decrease in burden hours to the cessation of the ACF â sponsored supplemental questions on childcare, after FY 2017. This change accounts for a decrease of 67 hours.
There is an increase of 107 hours associated with contacts with ineligible employers. Two factors are associated with this increase: 1) the employer eligibility rate; and 2) the average number of crop workers interviewed per farm. In the last submission, the employer eligibility rate was 38 percent. With this submission, ETA assumes that the eligibility rate will be 20 percent, i.e., the rate it was in FY 2017 (the last year for which these data are available). The lower eligibility rate means that interviewers need to contact more employers to identify eligible employers. The average number of crop workers interviewed per farm has also decreased (from 4.8 to 3.8), which means that interviewers need to contact more eligible employers to interview the target sample size of crop workers.
Lastly, there is a decrease of 129 hours associated with contacts with eligible employers. This decrease obtains because the target sample size of crop workers has decreased from 3,369 to 1,500, after accounting for the decrease in the average number of interviews per farm.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.