Web Collection in the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages

Web Collection in the Quarterly Census of

Employment and Wages Program

Sharon Stang and Emily Thomas

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts Ave, NE,

Washington, DC 20212

Abstract

The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program serves as the

establishment census and sample frame for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In this capacity,

the QCEW program conducts the Annual Refiling Survey (ARS) to review and update the

classification codes and geographic location codes assigned to the approximately 9 million

establishments in the United States. Around 1/3 of these worksites are reviewed each year.

QCEW developed a web-based data collection program to address the data collection needs

of its ARS.

This paper focuses on two new innovations in data collection implemented to move the

ARS to a fully web-based survey, moving away from collection on paper forms. The first

is the use of a one-page letter directing respondents to web collection and the second is the

use of emails to solicit response to the ARS. Both methods replace a multi-page form for

respondents to fill out and return. Response rates to both email and web letters exceeded

expectations and pave the way not only for significant postage savings, but introduce

opportunities for data quality improvements through additional interactive questions.

Particular focus is given to the design, development, testing, and implementation of the

emails and web letters. Differences in the collection periodicity, employer contacts,

security, survey content, email and letter design, employer size (number of worksites),

solicitation procedures, testing environment, and other relevant issues were used to

determine the best approach for the ARS.

Key Words: Internet, email, solicitation, web

1. Background

The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages is a cooperative program between the

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the State Employment Security Agencies

(SESAs). The QCEW program produces a comprehensive tabulation of employment and

wages for workers covered by state Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws and Federal

workers covered by the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE)

program. The QCEW, covering 98 percent of U.S. jobs, serves as a near census of monthly

employment and quarterly wages by 6-digit North American Industry Classification

System (NAICS) industry.

The UI administrative records compiled under the QCEW program serve as the sampling

frame for BLS establishment surveys that produce labor market information on job

creation, consumer prices and inflation measures, employer costs of employee

compensation and benefits, occupational employment and wages, and occupational injuries

and illnesses. Other federal agencies rely on BLS data, and in some cases specifically

QCEW data. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis uses QCEW data as the base for

developing the wage and salary component of personal income. The Federal Reserve

Board of Governors uses BLS data on employment, among other measures, when

reviewing and setting monetary policy. Thus, the wide-scale use of QCEW data, and its

impact on federal statistical programs and policies requires that any changes to the program

be thoroughly researched and the potential positive or negative impacts well understood

prior to implementation.

The information obtained from state UI administrative records through the QCEW program

is subject to BLS verification. The Annual Refiling Survey (ARS), conducted over a three-

year cycle, asks approximately one-third of eligible establishments to confirm or update

their main business activity and their business mailing and physical location addresses.

Historically, this information has been collected on paper and via Touchtone Response

(TRS), a telephone reporting option only available to establishments that have no changes

to their information.

1.1 Introduction of Online Data Collection for the Annual Refiling Survey

In response to the increasing number of businesses in the universe and postage costs, the

QCEW program introduced an online collection system (ARS Web) in 2012. Prior to 2012,

businesses received an envelope with a cover letter, paper form, and return envelope.

Respondents would fill out the paper form by hand and return it in the mail. This ARS form

would be reviewed and manually processed by a State analyst. With the introduction of

ARS Web, businesses received a similar ARS form, but the new forms included web

credentials so that if the respondent wanted to report online, they would have that option.

(Peters, 2013.)

The 2012 ARS survey materials mailed to pilot respondents included all of the traditional

printed materials: cover letter, survey form, and return envelope, as well as an option to

report online. The success of the initial online data collection pilot in 2012 led to an

expansion of online collection in 2013, and even wider implementation in 2014. Changes

to the survey materials mailed to respondents soliciting online participation were also

tested and modified in 2013 and 2014. Responses on traditional paper forms and TRS, and

through ARS Web from 2012-2014 are shown in Table 1.

Table 1. 2012-2014 *ARS Responses by Mode

Survey

Year

Web

Responses

Paper/TRS

Responses

% Web

2012

58,794

883,012

6.2 %

2013

183,626

768,084

19.3%

2014

180,510

476,658

27.5%

* ARS sustained a sample reduction due to funding in 2014.

1.2 Purpose of Testing Web Letters and Email Solicitation

The importance of QCEW data to the BLS, and its data users, requires the very careful

examination and implementation of any changes made to the ARS data collection

procedures. With annual samples in excess of one million establishments, data collection

costs for the ARS are a significant component of the QCEW annual budget. The printing

of solicitation cover letters, survey forms, and mailing and return envelopes for three

mailings per survey year, along with the associated mailing and return mail postage, are

obvious areas to look at for cost savings during lean budget times. Because online reporting

allows for a shorter collection cycle than traditional mail reporting, online reporting leads

to reduced second and third mailings, thereby saving money on printing and postage.

The budget climate of recent years and the expansion of online data collection provided an

additional opportunity to further cut costs and move towards a paperless ARS by testing

whether we could successfully increase web participation in 2015 by using web letters and

email solicitation. With web letters, respondents would be directed solely to online

reporting, without the option to report on a paper form. With email solicitation, the ARS

could even further reduce mailing and printing costs by contacting respondents in advance

of printing and mailing solicitation letters, resulting in responses at virtually no cost.

Collecting data without the expense of soliciting respondents through traditional means

results in additional cost savings, above and beyond the significant savings already

achieved through online data collection.

2. 2015 ARS Web Letter Pilot

With the success of web reporting and the steady increase of web participation from 2012-

2014, QCEW sought to further encourage web reporting. To this end, a one-page letter was

designed to replace the package that contained traditional paper forms and return

envelopes. This letter would contain a link to the data collection website along with the

needed credentials to log into the website and report data online. There would be no paper

form and no return envelope included. Respondents would receive the web letter and their

only option for reporting would be to log into the online system and report data. Attachment

1 is an example of the web letters that were mailed to respondents for the first mailing in

2015.

Prior to a full scale implementation, a pilot was conducted to test how respondents would

react to the web letters. For the 2015 first mailing, approximately 20 percent of the ARS

was randomly selected to receive web letters. This group could then be compared to the

group that received forms to measure response rate differences between the two data

collection modes. Three mailings were conducted over the course of the survey, and the

responses to each type of mailing are shown in Tables 2a -2c.

Table 2a. Responses to the First 2015 ARS Mailing

First Mailing

Mailed

Responses

Paper Form

469,696

220,648

47.0%

Web Letter

108,622

46,533

42.8%

Difference

-4.1%

After the success of the first web letter mailing, the second mailing was conducted using

50 percent web letters and 50 percent traditional paper forms.

Table 2b. Responses to the Second 2015 ARS Mailing

Second Mailing

Mailed

Responses

Paper Form

131,822

52,460

39.8%

Web Letter

131,843

45,075

34.2%

Difference

-5.6%

Finally, the third mailing was conducted again using roughly 50 percent web letters and 50

percent traditional paper forms.

Table 2c. Responses to the Third ARS Mailing

Third Mailing

Mailed

Responses

Paper Form

39,324

9,091

23.1%

Web Letter

43,449

7,998

18.4%

Difference

-4.7%

2.1 2015 Web Letter Pilot Results

The QCEW program set out to test the viability of directing respondents toward online

reporting by replacing traditional paper forms with a one-page web letter. A vast majority

of respondents were able to successfully report data online after receiving a one page letter,

rather than a paper form, and taking cost savings into consideration, a 4 to 5 percent

reduction in response rate was considered acceptable. The web letter model allows for an

additional mailing to non-respondents to recover the 5 percent reduction going forward,

and that mailing would cost only a fraction of the savings achieved using web letters.

To assist respondents who are unwilling or unable to report online, a blank version of the

ARS survey forms has been made available on the BLS public website so that respondents

can download a paper form, fill it out, and return it to their state agency via FAX, or mail

(using their own envelope and postage.)

To provide additional support for the ARS response rates, QCEW also incorporated email

solicitation into the ARS for 2015.

2.2 BLS Confidentiality Restrictions and IT Security Guidelines

The Bureau of Labor Statistics takes its responsibility to protect the confidentiality of

survey respondents and responses very seriously.

To uphold this standard, there are

The Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002

(CIPSEA) safeguards the confidentiality of individually identifiable information acquired under a

pledge of confidentiality for exclusively statistical purposes by controlling access to, and uses

made of, such information. CIPSEA includes fines and penalties for any knowing and willful

disclosure of individually identifiable information by an officer, employee, or agent of the BLS.

guidelines and restrictions placed on the use of email by BLS survey programs, due to the

inherent potential for unauthorized disclosure associated with electronic communications.

These guidelines and restrictions encompass the use of email for both data collection and

contact with respondents. The proper use of email by BLS survey programs is explained

and restricted by BLS Commissioner’s Order 1-13. One such restriction requires that email

addresses for survey respondents be on record with the BLS prior to use.

Practical

application of this restriction means that the 2015 ARS was the very first opportunity

QCEW had for testing email solicitation using the email addresses supplied by the 2012

ARS online respondents. A second BLS policy regarding Information Technology (IT)

security requires that credentials for online reporting (account numbers and passwords) not

be provided in the same email. While account numbers and passwords can be mailed

together to respondents, practical application of this IT security policy requires that two

emails be sent for each solicitation attempt, one with the online account information, and

one with the password required to access that online account.

3. 2015 ARS Email Solicitation Pilot

As noted previously, the ARS is conducted on a three-year cycle, and the 2012

establishments that responded online were eligible for selection in 2015. 21,097

establishments selected for the 2015 ARS and were eligible for the email solicitation pilot.

When a 2012 online respondent completed multiple ARS submissions, the same email

address was linked to the ARS accounts in 2015. Only one solicitation email pair was sent

to each eligible email address so multiple credentials were listed in the emails to cover all

of the sampled establishments linked to the email address, thus only 18,926 email

solicitation pairs were sent, covering 21,097 sampled establishments.

Solicitation emails were initially blasted to the 2015 pilot sample in late September, 2014

by an automated email application. Each solicitation included a pair of emails, one with

the Subject Line: Industry Verification Form Notice, and one with the Subject line: Industry

Verification Form Notice – PASSWORD. Attachments 2 and 3 are examples of the two

emails sent in the first email blast in 2015.

As expected, we received a number of undeliverable messages from the initial email

solicitation. We continued to include these email addresses in our solicitations and follow-

ups as there were two primary reasons identified by email systems when a message went

undeliverable. The most frequent reasons were either “An error occurred while trying to

deliver the message,” or “Your message to <[email protected]> was automatically rejected:

Quota exceeded (mailbox for user is full).” These two types of undeliverable messages

suggested that if the original were resent delivery might be successful. There were roughly

2,600 solicitations in the email sample that would eventually never be delivered and would

require solicitation through traditional means.

Over the nine-month data collection period, sampled establishments could receive up to 5

emails requesting their participation in the 2015 ARS. A follow-up email to non-

respondents asked them to report online and notified them that if they did not, they would

receive a paper request via mail in the next few weeks. An alternate follow-up email was

sent to partial respondents, those that had used their credentials to logon to our secure

BLS Commissioner’s Order No. 1-13… For the purpose of data collection arrangements. A

respondent’s email address on record with the BLS must be verified prior to use. Verifying an

email address on the Internet is not sufficient.

website, but had not completed their data submission. Attachment 4 is an example of the

partial response email sent in 2015.

Email solicitation for the 2015 ARS began in late September 2014, five weeks prior to the

first mailed solicitation materials. See Table 3a for the schedule of email solicitations.

Table 3. ARS schedule of email solicitations

Date

Type

Establishments

9/23/2014

Email Solicitation

21,097

10/8/2014

Email Solicitation

15,750

1/7/2015

Partial Follow-up

2,345

1/7/2015

Email NR Follow-up

6,129

3/26/2015

Partial Follow-up

2,593

3/26/2015

Email NR Follow-up

4,107

6/18/2015

Partial Follow-up

1,993

6/18/2015

Email NR Follow-up

3,270

NR= Non-Response; Partial = Incomplete data submission on website.

Responses to the email solicitations began immediately after the emails were sent. After

just 24 hours, almost 17 percent of the establishments that were sent emails had already

accessed our secure website and submitted reports, and an additional 17 percent responded

over the next three weeks. After adjusting for the number of undeliverable emails, nearly

40 percent of the eligible establishments responded online within three weeks. During the

five week pre-mailing period, two email solicitations were sent, one on September 23

and

another two weeks later on October 8

. Responses were extracted from the online database

and transmitted to the state agencies weekly, beginning on September 24

Table 4a. ARS Web responses for email solicitations

Date of

Transmission

Responses by

Recipients

% of

Establishments

(21,097)

% of *Eligible

Establishments

(18,438)

9/24/2014

3,504

16.6%

19.0%

10/2/2014

1,381

6.5%

7.5%

10/8/2014

1,500

7.1%

8.1%

10/16/2014

893

4.2%

4.8%

3 Week Total

7,278

34.5%

39.5%

10/24/2014

245

1.2%

1.3%

10/30/2014

145

0.7%

0.8%

Pre-Mail Total

7,668

36.3%

41.6%

* Eligible establishments = Sampled establishments - undeliverables.

A follow-up email was sent to non-respondents in the solicitation pilot on January 7

. A

portion of these nonrespondents had logged onto our secure website, but had not completed

their data submission, and a portion had never logged on at all.

Table 4b. ARS Web responses for 1

non-response and partial-response follow-up

Date of

Transmission

Responses by

Recipients

% of

Establishments

(21,097)

% of Follow-up

Establishments

(8,474)

1/9/2015

654

3.1%

7.7%

1/16/2015

499

2.4%

5.9%

1/23/2015

154

0.7%

1.8%

1/30/2015

0.5%

1.2%

2/6/2015

0.2%

0.5%

Total

1,445

6.8%

17.1%

A second follow-up email was sent to partial and non-respondents on March 26, 2015.

Table 4c. ARS Web responses for 2

non-response and partial-response follow-up

Date of

Transmission

Responses by

Recipients

% of

Establishments

(21,097)

% of Follow-up

Establishments

(6,700)

3/27/2015

0.4%

1.1%

4/3/2015

226

1.1%

3.4%

4/10/2015

0.3%

1.1%

4/17/2015

0.2%

0.7%

4/24/2015

0.2%

0.5%

Total

450

2.3%

6.7%

And a final follow-up email was sent to partial and non-respondents close to the end of the

survey on June 18, 2015.

Table 4d. ARS Web responses for final non-response and partial-response follow-up

Date of

Deliverable

Responses by

Recipients

% of

Solicitations

(21,097)

% of Follow-up

Emails

(5,263)

6/26/2015

106

0.5%

2.0%

7/6/2015

0.1%

0.4%

Total

126

0.6%

2.4%

All responses received after the last mail solicitation. No cost savings.

3.1 2015 ARS Email Solicitation Pilot Results

The QCEW program set out to test the viability of soliciting ARS establishments

electronically. Would sampled establishments accept an email solicitation as a legitimate

survey request from the BLS? Within 24 hours, nearly 17 percent of respondents that

received an email solicitation had logged onto our secure website and reported their data.

Within five weeks, almost 40 percent of email solicitations had reported their data online.

During this same time period, we were also receiving emails to our Help Desk asking about

the survey’s legitimacy and we adjusted our electronic materials (see Conclusion) to

address this concern.

4. ARS Response Analysis

The main goal of the ARS is to keep the QCEW sample frame accurate. Respondents are

asked to review their geographic and industry information and either verify that is it correct

or provide an update to correct this information. One concern with moving to Web

reporting is the composition of responses to the ARS. Since the source of the data (UI)

remains the same, the level of corrections from respondents should be fairly consistent over

time. But adding a new collection mode could have an impact on whether or not

respondents provide corrections. Will online responses be similar to paper responses or

will respondents behave differently when reporting data online? And if respondents behave

differently, are they providing more information or less information?

A review of response types from the 2008-2015 surveys shows whether or not a respondent

provided a correction to their geographic or industry information.

Figure 1. Percent of ARS Responses with Corrections 2008-2016

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

100.00%

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

% Total Responses

ARS Year

Correction

No Correction

From these results, the expansion of web reporting in 2013 coincides with an increase in

corrections to geographic and industry information from respondents. Since the main goal

of the ARS is to keep the QCEW sample frame current, it is beneficial to receive additional

corrections from respondents. In addition to being less costly, online reporting has also

increased the effectiveness of the ARS in gathering updates to geographic and industry

information from respondents.

5. Conclusion

The success of the 2015 ARS web letter and email solicitation pilots provided the QCEW

program with a solid framework for incorporating web letters and electronic solicitation

into the full ARS. Web letters were fully incorporated as the entire first and second mailings

for 2016, and continued with similar success as the pilot. For email blasts, forty percent of

the pilot establishments responded to the ARS within three weeks of receiving an email

solicitation and before any survey documents were printed or mailed. The size of the third

mailing for 2016 was the smallest since the inception of the centrally collected ARS

program. Early responses result in the most cost savings so we are particularly interested

in maximizing this initial response.

Through our email helpdesk we noticed that some respondents were specifically concerned

with the validity of the email survey request because they did not recognize the email

address used for solicitation: Helpdesk.AR[email protected]. For future email solicitations, the

survey requests will come from a more recognizable sender that a respondent will be more

likely to recognize and accept as legitimate: AnnualRefilingSurvey@bls.gov

The web letter and email solicitation pilots also offered opportunities to examine and refine

our procedures and materials as we expand our efforts.

Throughout the collection cycle, follow-up emails were periodically sent to non-

respondents. After analyzing the survey results, we realized that the follow-up emails did

not generate as significant a response as originally anticipated. In fact, the number of email

reminders will be curtailed as we expand. We do not want to give the impression that we

are “spamming” non-respondents with frequent email requests for survey participation.

In July 2015, an ARS Respondent’s webpage (http://www.bls.gov/respondents/ars/) was

deployed on the main BLS public internet site providing respondents with background

information on the Annual Refiling Survey. From this page, respondents can access step-

by-step illustrated instructions for reporting online, review our FAQs, print blank survey

forms, access their state contact information, and submit online help requests. Respondents

are also provided with the link to this website in their solicitation emails.

Solicitation emails are sent in a blast from an automated email attendant and the sending

email address is an unmonitored mailbox. If a respondent replies to the solicitation email

with a question, they are automatically forwarded a copy of our Frequently Asked

Questions (FAQs). This automated response can be tailored as necessary during the survey

to address any new or recurring issues reported by respondents to our helpdesk. Attachment

5 is an example of the automated email reply that respondents receive if they reply to their

solicitation or password emails.

And finally, the 2015 ARS email solicitation pilot was conceived under the guidelines

established by BLS Commissioner’s Order 1-13 concerning the use of company emails on-

file with the BLS by its survey programs. BLS Commissioner’s Order 1-16 more accurately

defined “on-file” with the BLS to mean either provided through the Internet Data

Collection Facility (IDCF) or via our state partners.

Beginning with the 2016 ARS, our

state partners will be able to provide email addresses obtained by their UI Tax departments

(where available) for ARS solicitation purposes. The BLS treats these email addresses with

the same CIPSEA protections as all other BLS survey data. ARS solicitation emails will

include both prior ARS online respondents, and new or formerly paper/telephone ARS

respondents. This will allow for faster expansion of email solicitation and greater

immediate cost savings as we move towards a paperless ARS in the years to come.

References

Cohen, Stephen (2003) "Privacy and Confidentiality Issues in Federal-State Cooperative

Programs of the Bureau of Labor Statistics" Internal Bureau of Labor Statistics report,

Active URL: http://www.bls.gov/ore/pdf/st030260.pdf

Lewis, T., and Hess, K., U.S. Office of Personnel Management, “Experiment Testing

Alternative Email Contact Timing Strategies in a Web-Based Survey of Federal

Personnel.” Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology, 2015.

http://fcsm.sites.usa.gov/files/2016/03/G2_Lewis_2015FCSM.pdf

Dillman, D.A.; Smyth, J.D.; Christian, L.M. (2009) Internet, Mail, and Mixed-Mode

Surveys, the Tailored Design Method, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Ferrell, E., Market Strategies, “Guidelines for Survey Correspondence: Composing Email

and Traditional Mail Solicitations for Web Surveys.”

http://www.marketstrategies.com/rbdocs/SolicitationGuidelines.pdf

Peters, John, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Web Collection in the Quarterly Census of

Employment and Wages Program, Joint Statistical Meeting, Montreal Canada, 2013.

https://www.amstat.org/meetings/jsm/2013/onlineprogram/AbstractDetails.cfm?abstracti

d=309659

Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not

constitute policy of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

BLS Commissioner’s Order No. 1-16. February 17, 2016.

Attachment 1. First Mailing - ARS Web Letter*

* The ARS is mandatory in 26 States and territories. Web letters sent to respondents where the survey is

mandatory included a mandatory statement in the third paragraph and referenced the applicable state law

requiring a response.

Attachment 2. Solicitation Email

From: [email protected]

Subject: Industry Verification Form Notice

Dear [Respondent Name],

Every three years, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics requests that you verify the address and main

business activity for your firm. You filed this report online in the past. We are asking that you log on to

our secure website and report online again to reduce costs and save tax dollars.

Please log on to our secure website to complete your report: https://idcfars.bls.gov/

WEB ID 1: 991234567890

PASSWORD: Your 8-character password has been sent in a separate email.

If you are having difficulty accessing the system, please email us at help[email protected]

This survey is authorized by 29 U.S. Code, Section 2. Your cooperation is needed to make the results of

this survey complete, accurate, and timely. The Industry Verification Form, BLS-3023 is approved with

O.M.B. No. 1220-0032, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor. The information collected

will be used for statistical and Unemployment Insurance program purposes and other purposes in

accordance with law. Additional information regarding this survey can be found at:

www.bls.gov/cew/ivf/

Questions about this survey? Contact information for your State office is available here:

http://www.bls.gov/cew/ivf/cewars00.htm

Thank you,

U.S. Department of Labor

Bureau of Labor Statistics

(BLS) is committed to the responsible treatment of confidential information and takes rigorous security

measures to protect confidential information in its possession. This email contains confidential

information. If you believe you are not the intended recipient of this message, please notify the sender

and delete this email without disclosing, copying, or further disseminating its contents.

Attachment 3. Password Email

From: [email protected]

Subject: Industry Verification Form Notice – PASSWORD

To complete your Industry Verification Form online, please use the Web ID from the email you recently

received with the subject line: Industry Verification Form Notice, along with your password below to

log on to our secure website: https://idcfars.bls.gov/

If you cannot locate the Industry Verification Form Notice email, please check your email SPAM folder.

PASSWORD1: Aa123456

Thank you,

U.S. Department of Labor

Bureau of Labor Statistics

(BLS) is committed to the responsible treatment of confidential information and takes rigorous security

measures to protect confidential information in its possession. This email contains confidential

information. If you believe you are not the intended recipient of this message, please notify the sender

and delete this email without disclosing, copying, or further disseminating its contents

Attachment 4. Partial response follow-up email

From: [email protected]

Subject: Industry Verification Form Notice

Dear [Respondent Name],

Every three years, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics requests that you verify the address and main

business activity for your firm. Our records indicate that you logged into our system and began filing out

this report, but you have not complete and submitted this report. We are asking that you log back on to our

secure website and complete your online report.

Please log on to our secure website to complete your report: https://idcfars.bls.gov/

WEB ID 1: 991234567890

WEB ID 2: 999876543210

PASSWORD: Your 8-character password has been sent in a separate email.

If you are having difficulty accessing the system, please email us at help[email protected]

This survey is authorized by 29 U.S. Code, Section 2. Your cooperation is needed to make the results of

this survey complete, accurate, and timely. The Industry Verification Form, BLS-3023 is approved with

O.M.B. No. 1220-0032, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor. The information collected will

be used for statistical and Unemployment Insurance program purposes and other purposes in accordance

with law. Additional information regarding this survey can be found at: www.bls.gov/cew/ivf/

If you have already submitted this report directly to your State via fax, phone, or paper, please disregard

this message and accept out thanks for reporting.

Questions about this survey? Contact information for your State office is available here:

http://www.bls.gov/cew/ivf/cewars00.htm

Thank you,

U.S. Department of Labor

Bureau of Labor Statistics

(BLS) is committed to the responsible treatment of confidential information and takes rigorous security

measures to protect confidential information in its possession. This email contains confidential

information. If you believe you are not the intended recipient of this message, please notify the sender and

delete this email without disclosing, copying, or further disseminating its contents.

Attachment 5. Auto-Response Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Thank you for replying to the Annual Refiling Survey Notice. THIS INBOX IS NOT MONITORED. Please see answers to our most

frequently asked questions. If you have a question that is not answered below, please email us at ars.helpdesk@bls.gov and we

will respond to your inquiry.

1. Unable to log into the Website

The secure website link is https://idcfars.bls.gov. If you are having trouble logging into the website, we recommend that you close

your internet browser to refresh the system, reopen, and attempt to log in again.

If you are copying and pasting the password, please ensure that you are only using the 8 character password and not copying

spaces before or after.

2. Can’t find your PASSWORD or WEB ID

To have your PASSWORD or WEB ID resent, please submit a request to our helpdesk:

http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/forms/ars?/respondents/ars/home.htm

PASSWORD: Enter your email address, name, Subject: PASSWORD, check the radio button for Yes, and enter your 12-

digit Web ID. Leave the question box blank.

WEB ID: Enter your email address, name, Subject: WEB ID. In the box where you can enter your question, pleases input

the email address where you received the password message so that we can look up the account.

3. Is this request legitimate?

You can view the current OMB approval for the Industry Verification Form, BLS-3023 online:

http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAOMBHistory?ombControlNumber=1220-0032

In an effort to reduce costs, an email prompt was sent to you because you have reported for the ARS online in the past or your

email address is associated with this business in your State Unemployment Insurance system. This survey is used by the Quarterly

Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Department of Labor. You

are asked to verify or update your location address and your economic activity for statistical purposes. This survey is authorized

by law, 29 U.S.C. 2. Additional information on the QCEW program can be found online at: www.bls.gov/cew

Phone contact information for your State office is available here:

http://www.bls.gov/respondents/ars/contacts.htm

Please do not hesitate to contact us at ars.helpd[email protected] if you have any further questions.

4. Technical Problem with the Website

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with the website, such as being redirected to the log in screens after pressing

continue, please close your internet browser to refresh the system, reopen, and log in again. This should allow you to navigate

freely through the site. Some users have encountered issues when using Internet Explorer 9. If the pages do not render correctly

in your browser (cropped, shifted off-screen, etc.) or you are unable to submit, please use a different browser or download a

newer version of IE.

5. 502s – Bad Gateway or Unexpected Situation Error

If you receive a 502 – Bad Gateway or an Unexpected Situation error message while logging into the system, we apologize for the

inconvenience. Please close your browser completely to refresh the session and attempt to log in again.

6. Make a Correction

To make a correction to submitted data, you can contact your State directly. Please be ready to supply your Unemployment

Insurance (UI) Account Number. Your State contact information can be found here: http://www.bls.gov/respondents/ars/

7. Report a closed location

To report that your location is closed, you can contact your State directly. Please be ready to supply your Unemployment

Insurance (UI) Account Number along with your closing date. Your State contact information can be found here:

http://www.bls.gov/respondents/ars/

8. No longer report for this client

If you are no longer the current contact for this business, please disregard this request. A letter will be mailed directly to the

business in the coming weeks.