Note to Reviewer - Flex Reporting Option (2020)

MEMORANDUM FOR: Reviewer of 1220-0011

FROM: Nic Johnson

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics

Division of Current Employment Statistics

Current Employment Statistics (CES)

SUBJECT: Flex Reporting Email

The Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Employment Statistics (CES) program would like to begin providing some Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) respondents the option of reporting online (Web). We typically call our CATI respondents every month to collect their data. To provide the online option, a different email reminder to web-eligible CATI respondents is needed and the CES program is seeking OMB approval for this new email. The Flex Reporting Email reminder (attached) was developed in consultation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Office of Survey Methods Research.

CATI respondents report their data by phone. Currently, we send them an email to remind them of the upcoming scheduled phone call to collect their data. With the Flex Reporting Email, CATI respondents will be given the option of reporting online rather than by phone. The Flex Reporting Email will replace the current email reminder for the upcoming phone call.

The CATI reporting method and the web reporting method are unchanged; the change here is that each month we will now offer CATI respondents who are eligible to report by web the option to report by web instead of receiving a phone call. This allows for additional flexibility for the respondent to choose their preferred reporting method.

Attachment A – Flex Reporting Email