Sept 10 -- The Census Bureau announces its plans for conducting the Annual Survey of Manufactures for 2020-22 with a slightly revised questionnaire. Comments are due by November 9, 2020.
The Census Bureau has conducted the Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM) since 1949 to provide key measures of manufacturing activity during intercensal periods. In economic census years ending in “2” and “7”, we do not conduct the ASM.
The Census Bureau plans to request a revision of a currently approved collection. The draft survey questionnaire is available at
https://www.dropbox.com/s/05famyayluxiie2/DRAFT_2020_MA-10000_AR.pdf?dl=0
Census plans to make the following changes:
MA-10000—Multiple Establishment Companies and MA-10000—Single Establishment Companies:
A. Content related to the Coronavirus Pandemic:
1. Item 28—Special Inquiry:
Add a question asking respondents to provide the number of days their location was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. This question will assist with measuring the impact on plant operations due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
The primary objective of adding this and other questions related to the Coronavirus Pandemic described below is to measure the impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on the manufacturing sector and manufacturing establishments, and meet the needs of the data user community. As we continue in these unprecedented times, the Coronavirus Pandemic content may shift, change or evolve and require further modifications on the ASM.
2. Item 5 and Item 28—Special Inquiry:
Add a statement to Item 5 to specify/clarify that donated products should be included in the value.
Add a question asking respondents if they donated products and the associated value of the donated products (breakout of Item 5, line A). Attempt to gather information on the value of shipments related to donated products by industry.
3. Item 7:
Add questions asking respondents to provide the payroll for production workers at the establishment by quarter. Collecting payroll information by range of months, rather than a point in time will reflect variability.
4. Item 22:
Add the following NAPCS to electronic instrument for all respondents:
a. 2017900000—Manufacturing of nonelectric breathing devices (including N95 and other respirators), incubators, inhalators, and resuscitators, and other surgical and medical apparatus and instruments, excluding anesthetic apparatus and parts.Start Printed Page 55819
b. 2018000000—Manufacturing of electromedical equipment (including diagnostic, therapeutic, patient monitoring equipment, and ventilators), excluding ionizing radiation equipment.
c. 2050375000—Manufacturing of personal safety equipment and clothing, industrial and nonindustrial, including respiratory protection, face shields, masks, and protective clothing, excluding footwear, gloves, and surgical and medical respirators.
d. 2045875000—Manufacturing of surgical appliances and supplies, including surgical gloves, bandages, gauze, cotton (sterile and non-sterile), and other surgical dressings, excluding orthopedic and prosthetic appliances.
e. 2010475000—Manufacturing of bath, facial, and hand soaps, including hand sanitizers.
f. 2007875000—Manufacturing of other household specialty cleaning and sanitation products, including disinfectants.
Industries have shifted to produce goods they normally do not produce. Adding the proposed NAPCS questions to all forms will assist with capturing a shift in production lines.
B. Revisions related to integrating annual surveys: The Census Bureau is undertaking an initiative to integrate and re-engineer select annual programs. Programs include the Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM), Annual Retail Trade Survey (ARTS), Annual Wholesale Trade Survey (AWTS), Services Annual Survey (SAS), Annual Capital Expenditures Survey (ACES), Manufacturing Shipments Inventories and Unfilled Orders (M3UFO), and Company Organizational Survey (COS). Efforts include coordinating collection strategies/instruments/communication; integrating, changing or revising content; ensuring content is relevant; coordinating samples; and improving frame and coordinating status updates across annual surveys. The initiative to integrate and re-engineer select annual programs is scheduled to begin implementation in survey year 2023. The goal is to shift select annual programs from individual independent surveys to a streamlined integrated annual program. The new annual program will move from industry focused, individual surveys to requesting a more holistic view of the companies. Prior to survey year 2023, we plan to begin to align our annual programs and improve efficiencies across programs in targeted areas related to consistent content, processes, and systems. The initiative is in response to data user needs (timely, granular, harmonized data), and declining response rates.
C. Item 7: Employment, Payroll, and Fringe Benefits: Add content collecting four quarters of payroll for production workers to be consistent with employment (Item 7A). Revisions and adjustments will be made to the presentation/layout/content of employment and payroll questions to streamline and improve the flow.
D. Item 5: Sales, Shipments, Receipts, or Revenue: Remove Item 5B, market value of products shipped to other domestic plants of the company for further assembly, fabrication, or manufacture. This question is poorly reported and not utilized by data users.
ASM website -- including methodology and current survey forms:
https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/asm.html
FR notice:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/09/10/2020-19991/agency-information-collection-activities-submission-to-the-office-of-management-and-budget-omb-for
Point of contact: Marlo Thornton, Assistant Division Chief, Manufacturing, Mining, and Construction Sectors, Economy-Wide Statistics Division, U.S. Census Bureau (301) 763-7170 Marlo.N.Thornton@Census.gov.
