Here is a small subprogram I use to handle this requirement. I have it in an XL but could reside in any appropriate library:
$CONTROL DYNAMIC, NOLIST
 IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
 PROGRAM-ID.  CPAUSE.
 DATA DIVISION.
 WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
 01  TIME-STRING     PIC 9(6)V999.
 01  STRING-LENGTH   PIC S9(4) BINARY VALUE 9.
 01  DECIMALS        PIC S9(4) BINARY VALUE 3.
 01  RETURN-REAL     PIC S9(4) BINARY VALUE 1.
 01  SCALE           PIC S9(4) BINARY VALUE 0.
 01  DELIMITERS      PIC S9(4) BINARY VALUE 0.
 01  REAL-SECONDS    PIC S9(9) BINARY VALUE ZERO.
 01  ERROR-CODE      PIC S9(4) BINARY VALUE ZERO.
 LINKAGE SECTION.
 01 PAUSE-TIME       PIC S9(6)V999 COMP.
*
*** CALLING SYNTAX:
***  CALL "CPAUSE" USING PAUSE-TIME
***
***  PARAMETER SHOULD BE PIC S9(6)V999 COMP AS IT IS HERE,
***  PERMITTING PAUSE ACCURACY DOWN TO 1000ths OF A SECOND.
*
 PROCEDURE DIVISION USING PAUSE-TIME.
 FIRST-PARA.
    MOVE PAUSE-TIME TO TIME-STRING
*
*** HPEXTIN CONVERTS AN ASCII NUMERIC STRING TO
    CALL INTRINSIC "HPEXTIN" USING TIME-STRING STRING-LENGTH
                   DECIMALS RETURN-REAL SCALE DELIMITERS
                   REAL-SECONDS ERROR-CODE
    IF ERROR-CODE = 0
        CALL INTRINSIC "PAUSE" USING REAL-SECONDS
    END-IF
    EXIT PROGRAM.