Employment and Training Administration 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments concerning a proposed extension for the authority to conduct the information collection request (ICR) titled, ``COVID-19 Symptom Tracker for Students, Emotional Wellness Form for Students, and Student Vaccination Status and Test Consent Form Collection''. This comment request is part of continuing Departmental efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).

The Department of Labor's (Department) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments concerning a proposed extension for the authority to conduct the Information Collection Request (ICR), titled ``ETA-9127, Foreign Labor Certification Quarterly Activity Report.'' This action seeks an extension of the collection without changes. This comment request is part of continuing Departmental efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).

The Employment and Training Administration of the Department of Labor (DOL) is issuing this notice to announce the 2022 Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) for the employment of temporary or seasonal nonimmigrant foreign workers (H-2A workers) to perform herding or production of livestock on the range. AEWRs are the minimum wage rates DOL has determined must be offered and paid by employers to H-2A workers and workers in corresponding employment so that the wages and working conditions of workers in the United States (U.S.) similarly employed will not be adversely affected. In this notice, DOL announces the annual update of the AEWR for workers engaged in the herding or production of livestock on the range, as required by the methodology previously established in 2015.

The Department of Labor's (DOL's) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments concerning a proposed extension for the authority to conduct the information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Short-Time Compensation (STC) Grants.'' This comment request is part of continuing Departmental efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).

The Department of Labor (Department or DOL) is proposing to amend its regulations governing the certification of agricultural labor or services to be performed by temporary foreign workers in H-2A nonimmigrant status (H-2A workers). Specifically, the Department proposes to revise the methodology by which it determines the hourly Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWRs) for non-range occupations (i.e., all occupations other than herding and production of livestock on the range) using a combination of wage data reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farm Labor Survey (FLS) and the Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, formerly the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey prior to March 31, 2021. For the vast majority of H-2A job opportunities represented by six occupations comprising the field and livestock worker (combined) wages reported by USDA, the proposed regulations will rely on the FLS to establish the AEWRs for these occupations in accordance with the methodology used by the Department for nearly all of the last 30 years. For all other occupations and to address circumstances in which the FLS does not report wage data for the field and livestock worker occupations, the Department proposes to use the OEWS survey to establish the AEWRs for each occupation. These proposed regulations are consistent with the Secretary of Labor's (Secretary) statutory responsibility to certify that the employment of H-2A workers will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of workers in the United States similarly employed. The Department believes the proposed methodology will strike a reasonable balance between the statute's competing goals of providing employers with an adequate legal supply of agricultural labor and protecting the wages and working conditions of workers in the United States similarly employed.

The purpose of this notice is to alert the public to an error in the previously published annual Labor Surplus Area (LSA) list for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, and to announce the corrected LSA list for FY 2022.

The Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments concerning a proposed revision to the authority to conduct the information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments Reports.'' This comment request is part of continuing Departmental efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor (Department) is issuing this notice to announce updates to Appendix A to the Preamble-Education and Training Categories by Occupational Information Network (O*NET)-Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Occupations. Appendix A is a list of professional occupations that serves as a guide for employers to distinguish between professional and non-professional occupations in order to comply with the professional recruitment requirements of the permanent labor certification (PERM) program. In addition, this notice announces standard procedures for establishing Job Zones for a SOC code and occupational title in situations where O*NET Job Zone data are not yet available as O*NET transitions to the 2018 SOC system. These actions, updating Appendix A and establishing standard procedures for Job Zone values where O*NET Job Zone data are unavailable for certain occupations, will allow ETA to maintain a more comprehensive and current list of occupations and provide additional clarity to employers and the public regarding the appropriate education requirements and Job Zone value for each SOC code and occupational title.

Notice is hereby given that the Workforce Information Advisory Council (WIAC or Advisory Council) will meet for two days, virtually. Information for public attendance at the virtual meetings will be posted at www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/wioa/wiac/meetings several days prior to each meeting date. The meetings will be open to the public.

The purpose of this notice is to announce the annual Labor Surplus Area list for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), notice is hereby given to announce a public meeting of the ACA to be held virtually on October 6, 2021. All meetings of the ACA are open to the public.

The Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment and Training Administration, pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations implementing procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), gives final notice of the proposed disposal of 2 parcels totaling 469.15 acres of excess property located southwest and east of the portion of the Earle C. Clements Job Corps Center campus to remain and that this project will not have a significant adverse impact on the environment.

The Department of Labor's (DOL's) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments concerning a proposed revision for the authority to conduct the information collection request (ICR) titled, ``National Agricultural Workers Survey.'' This comment request is part of continuing Departmental efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).

The Department of Labor's (DOL's) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments concerning a proposed extension for the authority to conduct the information collection request (ICR) titled ETA 9161Self Employment Assistance (SEA). This comment request is part of continuing Departmental efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).

The Department of Labor (DOL) invites interested parties to submit nominations for individuals to serve on the Native American Employment and Training Council (NAETC) and announces the procedures for those nominations. When submitting nomination materials, please indicate the Region or Discipline for which the nominee would like to be considered. Information regarding the NAETC can be found at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/dinap/council.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration is providing notice that the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) is changing the mailing address for its Atlanta National Processing Center (ANPC) beginning August 25, 2021, with the exception of mail associated with the processing of applications requesting permanent labor certification subject to supervised recruitment.