The Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration needs prevailing wage rates in order to determine the appropriate rate agricultural employers should pay foreign and domestic farmworkers. The State Workforce Agencies are charged with collecting the data from agricultural employers. The wage rates cover agricultural (crop and livestock) and logging jobs. Domestic migrant and local seasonal as well as foreign H-2A farmworkers are hired for these jobs.
The Department has seen a decrease in the number of surveys performed by the SWAs over the years; therefore, the number of responses for the ETA Form 232A has decreased by 24,197 from 38,805 to 14,608. The Department is also shifting part of the burden from OMB Control Number 1205-0457 to this one for the burden of collecting prevailing practice information. This will add additional responses to this ICR of 12,450 and additional burden hours of 6,225 burden hours. Thus, overall responses are decreasing by 11,747, while the hourly burden is increasing by 176.
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.