Labor Dept Seeks Input on Continuing Wage Data Survey
Published Date: 1/16/2026
Notice
Summary
The Department of Labor wants to keep collecting info about jobs and wages from businesses across the U.S., including all 50 states and territories. They’re asking for your thoughts on extending this survey, which helps shape job training and employment programs. If you run a business, this means you might keep sharing wage data, but the goal is to keep it simple and not take up too much time. Comments are due by March 17, 2026.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
Businesses Keep Reporting Wage Data
The Bureau of Labor Statistics proposes to continue the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, which will ask about jobs and wages from 239,000 respondents on a semi‑annual basis. The agency estimates an average response time of 30 minutes, 119,500 total annual burden hours, and $4,348,605 in annual operating/maintenance costs for respondents.
Agriculture Coverage Expanded
The OEWS program plans an anticipated expansion of agriculture industry coverage that will add 25,000 agricultural units over the six semi‑annual panels in this three‑year package. That means more agricultural establishments will be asked to report occupational employment and wage data in upcoming panels.
OEWS Data Shapes Jobs Programs
OEWS survey data are used to help develop employment and training programs under the Perkins Vocational Education Act and the Wagner-Peyser Act, to inform State vocational education plans, and to support the Department's administration of the Foreign Labor Certification process under the Immigration Act of 1990. That means the survey helps shape how training programs and some labor certification decisions are made.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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