SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR
PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSION
Employment
Application for Locally Employed Staff or
Family Member
OMB
Control Number 1405-0189
Why is this collection necessary and what are the legal statutes that allow this?
Candidates for employment at U.S. Embassies, Consulates or Missions abroad are required to complete and submit the Application for Employment as a Locally Employed Staff or Family Member (DS-0174) in order to meet the requirements for worldwide Mission recruitment. The form solicits information needed by Mission Management (specifically Human Resources (HR)) to assess eligibility, qualifications, and selection for employment. Authority for the Department to collect this information is under Sections 103,105, 206, 301(c), 303, 311(b), 408, and 501 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (as amended) and under 22 U.S.C. 2269(c).
What business purpose is the information gathered going to be used for?
The Bureau of Global Talent Management/Office of Overseas Employment (GTM/OE) requires that applicants for employment abroad complete and submit this form. The information collected is used by HR to determine a candidate’s eligibility for employment in the host country, eligibility as a U.S. Citizen Eligible Family Member (USEFM), eligibility as a U.S. Veteran USEFM, and qualifications for the Mission advertised position. Mission HR uses the information on the form to establish basic personnel records once the candidate is hired.
Is this collection able to be completed electronically (e.g. through a website or application)?
The collection is completed electronically via the Electronic Recruitment Application (ERA) which is linked directly from the Mission’s internet site. Each Mission has their own ERA URL for applicants to apply. For example, for Columbia, the URL is https://erajobs.state.gov/dos-era/vacancysearch/searchVacancies.hms?_ref=alg3wlvnpt0
Globally, Missions receive approximately one million applications. Currently 96% of the collection is electronic and it is expected to be at 100% by the end of 2022.
Does this collection duplicate any other collection of information?
There is no duplication of this information request.
Describe any impacts on small business.
There is no impact on small business.
What are consequences if this collection is not done?
If this collection is not conducted, it would be impossible for Human Resources at the Embassy, Consulate, or Mission to identify the required minimum eligibility and qualifications requirements for each vacancy and to select a candidate for employment.
Are there any special collection circumstances?
No special circumstances exist.
Document publication (or intent to publish) a request for public comments in the Federal Register
The Department published a notice in the Federal Register on August 10, 2021 soliciting public comments. The Department received a comment stating “I do not believe the state dept should employ family members for politicians. It is nepotism, this comment is for the public record.” The Department follows all U.S. law and regulation regarding nepotism. No further changes are required on the form.
Are payments or gifts given to the respondents?
Payments or gifts are not given to the respondents.
Describe assurances of privacy/confidentiality
For ERA submissions, the DS-0174 is stored on a server in the United States maintained by the contractor, Monster Government Solutions, and in compliance with Department’s ISSO standards. For paper submissions, they are stored at Post and maintained or destroyed in compliance with Department standards. If the Mission hires the candidate, the DS-0174 or ERA Application becomes part of the new employee’s Official Personnel File (OPF). The form contains Privacy Act statements that comply with and contain information required by the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (as amended) and 22 USC 2669(c).
Are any questions of a sensitive nature asked?
This form does not request information of a sensitive nature.
Describe the hour time burden and the hour cost burden on the respondent needed to complete this collection
The Department anticipates approximately 1,000,000 applicants per year. This is based on the ERA data and the survey results of the average number of applicants received per vacancy as self-identified on the Local Compensation Questionnaire as conducted annually by GTM/OE. The estimated burden for completion of the DS-0174 is expected to be about 15 minutes. 1,000,000 applicants X 15 minutes/60 minutes = 250,000 hours. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the “all occupations” wage rate of $24.34 per hour x 1.4 (weighted rate) equals $34.08. $34.08 x 250,000 hours = $8,520,000.
Describe the monetary burden to respondents (out of pocket costs) needed to complete this collection.
There is no cost to the respondents.
Describe the cost incurred by the Federal Government to complete this collection.
The cost to the Federal government is approximately $2,000,000 per year to pay for the Electronic Recruitment Application (ERA) software. This is the price of the contract signed by the Bureau of Human Resources and Monster Government Solutions to provide the ERA software.
Explain any changes/adjustments to this collection since the previous submission
Since the previous submission in 2019, there have been no changes to the form. The form has become electronic in 96% of all missions.
Specify if the data gathered by this collection will be published.
The data gathered by this collection will not be published.
If applicable, explain the reason(s) for seeking approval to not display the OMB expiration date. Otherwise, write “The Department will display the OMB expiration date.”
The Department will display the OMB expiration date.
Explain any exceptions to the OMB certification statement below. If there are no exceptions, write “The Department is not seeking exceptions to the certification statement”.
The Department is not seeking exceptions to the certification statement.
This collection does not employ statistical methods.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Canfield, Danielle P |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2022-02-12 |