Class of worker data have been collected during each interview. These variables indicate whether a respondent (1) works for a private company or individual for wages, salary, or commission; (2) is a government employee; (3) is self-employed in his or her own business, professional practice, or farm; or (4) is working without pay in a family business or farm.
User Notes: Beginning with the 2002 survey, changes were made to better identify nontraditional occupations worked by respondents. This included a clarification of what defines self-employment. For more information go to the section, “Jobs & Employers”.
On the basis of answers to the job classification questions, the respondent is classified as self-employed if he or she owned at least 50 percent of the business, was the chief executive officer or principal managing partner of the business, or was supposed to file a form SE for Federal income taxes. Respondents also are classified as self-employed if they identify themselves as independent contractors, independent consultants, or freelancers. A job is classified as nontraditional employment if the respondent is paid by a temporary
This information is available for an employed respondent’s current/most recent job, as well as for each job held since the last interview in which he or she worked for more than 10/20 hours a week and for more than nine weeks since the last interview. (Prior to 1988, information was collected for jobs worked more than 20 hours a week. After 1988, the number of hours was reduced to 10.) Respondents indicating that they are government employees are asked a follow-up question on whether they work at the Federal, State, or local level; self-employed respondents are asked whether their business is incorporated or unincorporated. These questions are similar to those asked in the Current Population Surveys.
User Notes: The coding system used for class of worker was changed beginning with the 1994 survey. Census definitions of these classes are provided in Figure 4.8.1 at the end of this section.
1979–93 1994 and beyond
1: private company 1: government
2: government 2: private for profit company
3: self-employed 3: nonprofit organization
4: without pay 4: self-employed
5: working in family business
Survey Instruments: Questions relating to current/most recent job and corporation status for businesses can be found in the “Current Labor Force Status or CPS” section of each year’s questionnaire: Section 8 (1979), Section 7 (1980), Section 6 (1981 and 1993), and Section 5 (1982–92 and 1994–98). Information on characteristics of up to five jobs held by the respondent between survey dates is drawn, for the 1979 survey year only, from the main questionnaire (Section 10 “Jobs”) and from the Employer Supplements for the 1980–2006 surveys. Since 1993, the Employer Supplement has been physically a part of the questionnaires.
Figure 4.8.1 Definitions of CPS Class of Worker Entries
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Private Employees are those who work for wages, salary, commission, tips, piece-rates, or pay in kind. This applies regardless of the occupation at which the employee worked, whether general manager, file clerk, or porter. The definition includes persons working for pay for settlement houses, churches, unions, and other private nonprofit organizations until 1994 when these were independently coded. Federal Government Employees are those who work for any branch of the Federal Government. This includes persons who were elected to paid Federal offices, civilian employees of the Armed Forces, and some members of the National Guard. It also includes employees of international organizations (such as the United Nations) and employees of foreign governments, such as persons employed by the French Embassy or the British Joint Services Mission. State Government Employees are those who work for State governments including paid State officials (such as statewide JTPA administrators), State police, and employees of State universities and colleges. Local Government Employees are those who work for cities, towns, counties, and other local areas. Included are those working for city-owned bus lines, electric power companies, water and sewer service, local JTPA offices, and so forth. This group also includes employees of public elementary and secondary schools. Self-Employed Worker refers to a person working for profit or fees in their own business, shop, office, or farm. Without Pay refers to a person working without pay on a farm or in a business operated by a related member of the household. Room and board and a cash allowance are not counted as pay for these family workers. Never Worked refers to a person looking for work who never before held a full-time job lasting two or more consecutive weeks. |
| Source: Interviewer's Manual: Current Population Survey. Washington, DC: Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, July 1985. |
Data Files: Until 1994, class of worker and type of government worker variables for current/most recent job are located in the “CPS” area of interest on the main NLSY79 data set. Comparable variables for additional jobs held between interview dates are found in the “Job Information” area of interest. Beginning in 1994, the CPS job variables are found in “Job Information” as well. They were all moved to the Employer Supplement. Class of worker information for all CPS jobs and up to four additional long-term jobs held since the last interview is also available by searching for areas of interest beginning with “Work History” on the NLSY79 data set. Corporation status of self-employed respondents’ businesses has been placed in the various yearly “Misc. xxxx” areas of interest.
User Notes: The “CPS job” is the respondent’s current or most recent job at the interview date. If more than one job is held at that time, the CPS job/employer is the one at which the respondent works at the most hours. If the respondent is not working, the CPS job is the job most recently held since the date of the last interview. In the Current Population Surveys, the CPS job is simply the current employer for whom the respondent works the most hours.
Only information on the first five employers encountered between interviews is released in the NLSY79 public files. However, data collected from any additional jobs are used in creating KEY variables on hours and weeks worked. In any survey year, the number of respondents who report more than five jobs is less than one percent of those interviewed.
Comparison to Other NLS Cohorts: The NLSY79 young adult survey has the same class of worker questions as the main NLSY79. The NLSY97 asks respondents age 16 and older to report the industry for each employer as of the job’s start date. Categories for type of industry include: Government, Private for-profit company, Nonprofit organization (including tax exempt and charitable), Working without pay in a family business or farm, and Member of the Armed Forces.
Business or industry is coded according to the 1990 three-digit Census industrial classification system. During each survey year Young and Mature Women and Young and Older Men of the Original Cohorts provided data on their class of worker status. Consult the BLS website at www.bls.gov/nls or the appropriate cohort’s User’s Guide for further details.