Tailored Collection Letter - Sample

DIVISION OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND ADULT LEARNING
Office of Workforce Information and Performance
1100 N. Eutaw Street, Room 316
Baltimore, MD 21201

Dear Maryland Employer:

June 6, 2016

We need your help. Your firm has been statistically selected to participate in the Occupational Employment Statistics
(OES) program. The OES program is a federal-state cooperative program funded by the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS). The BLS has been collecting this data since 1988 and establishments like yours are the only source
of this information.
The estimates produced by this program is of immeasurable value to employers, job seekers, educators, counselors,
economic developers, and anyone requiring current occupational employment and wage information. The OES
program estimates employment and wages for over 800 occupations for all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto
Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and Guam. The program also produces employment and wage estimates for the nation as
a whole, Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), and specific industries. The information you provide will be used
for statistical purposes only and any company or individual identifying information for non-governmental
establishments will be held in strict confidence.
There are two electronic options for submitting your data:
1) Email: Extract a report from your payroll or personnel system or create a spreadsheet with the job title
and wage rate for each employee in your company. Use an hourly rate for part time employees.
Please include your IDCF number in the email. Send your file to our secure address:
[email protected].
2) Report online: Go to https://idcfoes.bls.gov to enter data online or upload a data file. Log in using your
IDCF number found in Box 3 on the back of this letter. Further instructions for reporting online can also
be found on the back of this letter.
In order to ensure the timeliness of the data, we would greatly appreciate if you would submit your data within two
weeks. If you have any questions or if we can help you in any way, please contact us at (410) 767-2255 or toll free at
1-800-861-7704. Your timely response helps save tax dollars by reducing the need for additional mailings and
telephone calls. BLS also maintains a website for OES program respondents at www.bls.gov/respondents/oes.
Thank you for your time. We appreciate your help.
Sincerely,

Wayne Agostine
Wayne Agostine, OES Supervisor
Office of Workforce Information and Performance
In cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Bureau of Labor Statistics Web Site: http://stats.bls.gov

Bureau of Labor Statistics - Statement to Respondent on the Use of Electronic Data Transmission
As a participant in a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) statistical survey, you should be aware that use of electronic transmittal methods in reporting
data involves certain inherent risks to the confidentiality of those data. Further, you should be aware that responsible electronic transmittal
practices employed by the BLS cannot completely eliminate those risks. The BLS is committed to the responsible treatment of the data you report
and will take appropriate steps within its ability to protect the confidentiality of those data.

PHONE: 410-767-2255
LARRY HOGAN, GOVERNOR

•

•

FAX: 410-767-3299

•

INTERNET: www.dllr.maryland.gov

BOYD K. RUTHERFORD, LT. GOVERNOR

•

KELLY M. SCHULZ, SECRETARY

INFORMATION FOR COMPLETING THE OCCUPATIONAL EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS REPORT ONLINE
1. You are being asked to report the occupation and wage information for the work location specified in your address above for
the pay period that included May 12, 2018.
2. If your establishment has more than 20 employees, we recommend uploading a spreadsheet or a report from your payroll or
personnel system. We can accept almost any file format, except .exe files. We recommend having your spreadsheet or report
completed before logging in to the OES data collection site.
IMPORTANT: To protect your data, your session will time out if you spend 30 minutes on a page. A warning will appear when five minutes
remain. If you do not click “Ok” to extend your session, your data will be lost and you will have to log in again. We do not receive your data
until you click “Send” at the end. Preparing your data before logging in will help reduce the amount of time spent submitting data.
3. Go to HTTPS://IDCFOES.BLS.GOV. This is a secure website, as denoted by the HTTPS at the beginning of the address.
4. Enter the 11-digit IDCF number printed above your address at the top of this page. Follow the instructions to complete the
security check. Read the disclaimers and click “I Accept.” On the next page, read the time limit warning, click “Ok,” then read
the welcome page and click “Continue.”
5. Enter your contact information and click “Continue.” We will contact you if we have a question about your data.
6. Answer the questions about the work location specified in your address above, click “Continue,” then review what you have
entered. Click “Edit” to make corrections or “Continue” to proceed.
7. Follow the instructions on screen to complete the report. You can upload your file from step 2 or download a template. If you
would prefer to enter data manually, follow the link to our data entry page.
8. Select your file(s) to upload (up to 35 MB), and click “Send.” Print or save a copy of the confirmation screen for your
records. You will also receive an email confirming your submission.
That’s it - you’re done! If you have questions or require assistance, please use the contact information on the front of this letter.
To view OES data, please visit WWW.BLS.GOV/OES.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME - EMPLOYERS LIKE YOU ARE THE ONLY SOURCE OF THIS DATA.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, its employees, agents, and partner statistical agencies, will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only and will
hold the information in confidence to the full extent permitted by law. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of
2002 (Title 5 of Public Law 107-347) and other applicable Federal laws, your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your informed consent,
except in the case of State and local governments. The BLS publishes statistical tabulations from this report that may reveal the information reported by State
and local governments. Upon request, however, the BLS will hold the information provided by State and local governments on this report in confidence. Per the
Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, Federal information systems are protected from malicious activities through cybersecurity screening of
transmitted data.
We estimate that the time required to complete this report will vary from 10 minutes to 2 hours, depending on factors such as the size of the establishment. This
includes time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing this
information. If you have any comments regarding these estimates or any other aspects of this report, including suggestions for reducing this burden, send them
to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Occupational Employment Statistics (1220-0042), 2 Massachusetts Ave NE, Suite 2135, Washington, DC
20212. This report is authorized by law, 29 U.S.C. §2. We request your cooperation to make the results of this report comprehensive, accurate, and timely. You
do not have to complete this questionnaire if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. Form Approved, O.M.B. No. 1220-0042.