4.23 Industries

This section overviews the raw and created industry variables available for the NLSY79 main cohort. Two sets of variables are available for each survey year (1979–2000; in 2002 codes from 2000 were used) that provide information on the type of industry in which a respondent worked. Verbatim responses to questions such as “What kind of business or industry is this? What do they make or do?” have been recorded within the NLSY79 questionnaires and Employer Supplements during each year’s survey. Coding of responses is performed at NORC using the 1970 and, for the CPS job only, the 1980 Census industrial classification systems (Census 1971, 1980). The Census system consists of the 14 industry groups, representing more than 19,000 industries (see figure 4.23.1).

Beginning in 1994, NLSY79 CAPI surveys are preloaded with the last industry and occupation. To reduce errors and save on the amount of coding, each respondent is asked if the industry and occupation reported last time is still correct. Only if the respondent states this information is no longer correct is the industry or occupation recoded.

Figure 4.23.1 Major Industrial Groups: 1970 Census of Population

  • Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries
  • Mining
  • Construction
  • Manufacturing - Durable Goods
  • Manufacturing - Nondurable Goods
  • Transportation, Communications, and Other Public Utilities
  • Wholesale Trade
  • Retail Trade
  • Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate
  • Business and Repair Services
  • Personal Services
  • Entertainment and Recreation Services
  • Professional and Related Services
  • Public Administration

The first set of NLSY79 variables, ‘Type of Business or Industry of Most Recent Job (CPS Item),’ reflects the industry for the current or most recent job of those respondents who reported working for pay since the last interview. Included are those whose survey week activity was “working” as well as respondents who were unemployed or out of the labor force during the survey week but who had worked for pay since the last interview. The 1970 Census classification system is used to code industry information from the 1979–2000 surveys; industries of a respondent’s most recent job identified during the 1982–2000 surveys are doublecoded with the 1970 and 1980 Census codes.  Tables 4.23.1 and 4.23.2 give the number of respondents in each industry category in the survey years 1979-2000 by gender.  Beginning with the 2002 survey, all occupations and industries were coded with 2000 codes only.  Tables 4.23.3 and 4.23.4 give the number of respondents in each industry category in the survey years 2002 and 2004 by gender.

A second set of variables, ‘Type of Business or Industry Job #1–5,’ codes the industry of up to five jobs including the CPS job (generally considered to be Job #1) in which the respondent worked since he or she was last interviewed. Industry is not re-collected for the CPS job during the administration of the Employer Supplements. After 1993 all job specific information was removed from the CPS section and is only collected in the Employer Supplements.

Table 4.23.1 Industrial Sector of Civilian Respondents' Most Recent Job by Survey Year: NLSY79 Males 1979-2000

Survey Year

Industrial Sector

Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries

Mining

Construction

Manufacturing (Durable)

Manufacturing (Nondurable)

Transportation, Communication, &Public Utilities

Wholesale & Retail Trade

Finance, Insurance, & Real Estate

Business & Repair Services

Personal Services

Entertainment & Recreation Services

Professional & Related Services

Public Administration

All Males

1979

195

19

216

331

229

94

913

45

196

126

64

253

66

2747

1980

174

31

242

392

233

125

1018

63

221

99

75

290

70

3033

1981

164

54

287

423

265

151

1043

90

246

98

68

362

90

3341

1982

308

87

472

589

378

248

1339

109

398

172

126

467

205

4898

1983

306

85

497

515

404

267

1314

124

426

176

132

500

190

4936

1984

228

87

476

778

518

237

1054

130

450

228

120

480

219

5005

1985

191

78

591

647

396

276

1118

141

410

138

74

441

172

4673

1986

189

61

583

645

407

312

1031

176

415

106

73

432

203

4633

1987

189

34

580

616

455

349

898

163

457

164

81

396

202

4584

1988

195

60

601

620

444

376

890

187

424

114

91

425

241

4668

1989

183

37

644

687

425

389

883

201

408

115

76

464

203

4715

1990

176

49

625

674

409

390

869

196

423

100

71

440

234

4656

1991

159

34

555

547

357

361

738

175

349

87

73

402

207

4044

1992

180

49

502

533

365

344

665

168

401

87

60

427

255

4036

1993

164

28

548

517

357

343

652

173

353

89

51

452

248

3975

1994

141

27

501

482

351

359

603

164

357

89

44

446

261

3825

1996

143

33

513

507

340

369

585

155

392

89

53

438

261

3878

1998

134

27

490

532

314

415

539

157

371

74

64

429

260

3806

2000

118

20

484

469

305

408

540

160

363

62

63

416

245

3653

Universe: Respondents who reported working for pay since the last interview and for whom an industry code from the 1970 Census classification system was assigned.
Note: Beginning with the 1982 survey, data are coded with 1980 codes in addition to 1970 codes.
Note: To view an Adobe Acrobat PDF version of this file that will print on a single page, click here. If you are viewing this HTML file in the NLS Investigator program, you may need to open it in a Web browser to follow this link.

 

Table 4.23.2 Industrial Sector of Civilian Respondents' Most Recent Job by Survey Year: NLSY79 Females 1979-2000

Survey Year

Industrial Sector

Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries

Mining

Construction

Manufacturing (Durable)

Manufacturing (Nondurable)

Transportation, Communication, &Public Utilities

Wholesale & Retail Trade

Finance, Insurance, & Real Estate

Business & Repair Services

Personal Services

Entertainment & Recreation Services

Professional & Related Services

Public Administration

All Females

1979

49

7

19

117

179

44

883

149

53

310

40

496

74

2420

1980

33

5

26

156

209

63

988

195

79

235

38

613

78

2718

1981

29

7

13

165

233

78

981

241

83

221

43

787

115

2996

1982

76

17

43

232

355

123

1444

310

165

297

87

1038

203

4390

1983

80

14

33

201

360

120

1405

347

177

363

78

1075

231

4484

1984

77

16

49

291

423

132

1152

328

227

395

114

1092

237

4533

1985

55

22

40

257

371

141

1173

351

255

381

62

1083

162

4353

1986

45

15

39

256

361

138

1072

380

268

362

56

1147

219

4358

1987

54

5

45

251

385

170

959

386

289

403

60

1127

213

4347

1988

59

11

51

252

388

161

945

391

272

347

65

1155

231

4328

1989

46

10

61

278

367

172

904

369

290

370

51

1211

208

4337

1990

46

13

57

257

384

173

854

370

271

312

47

1284

223

4291

1991

38

11

43

209

269

155

696

308

214

275

53

1125

204

3660

1992

48

8

39

225

294

153

643

296

213

225

50

1179

255

3628

1993

35

9

38

195

286

163

637

288

237

268

36

1158

224

3574

1994

40

9

35

192

272

165

587

282

217

239

38

1127

236

3439

1996

42

9

44

196

262

162

623

262

222

260

47

1228

248

3605

1998

42

9

54

212

238

166

617

260

260

231

54

1291

242

3676

2000

39

8

68

209

195

181

584

253

248

197

61

1265

244

3552

 
Universe: Respondents who reported working for pay since the last interview and for whom an industry code from the 1970 Census classification system was assigned.
Note: Beginning with the 1982 survey, data are coded with 1980 codes in addition to 1970 codes.
Note: To view an Adobe Acrobat PDF version of this file that will print on a single page, click here. If you are viewing this HTML file in the NLS Investigator program, you may need to open it in a Web browser to follow this link. 

User Notes: Industry codes for the 1994 data release are in different format than other years. In the 1994 data, the industries of individuals who stayed in the same job are found in one variable while those who switched employers are found in a different variable. Users must combine the information in these two types of variables if they wish to match the industry coding of previous years. In the 1996 and later data releases, a combined industry variable is again computed for users.

 

Table 4.23.3 Industrial Sector of Civilian Respondents' Most Recent Job
by Survey Year: NLSY79 Males 2002-2004

Industrial Sector Survey Years
2002 2004
All Males 3491 3323
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting 62 55
Mining 21 21
Utilities 56 52
Construction 484 470
Manufacturing 651 585
Wholesale Trade 145 132
Retail Trade 277 279
Transportation and Warehousing 261 265
Information 102 93
Finance and Insurance 110 116
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 62 49
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 157 150
Management, Administrative and Support, and Waste 204 220
Educational Services 143 148
Healthcare and Social Assistance 150 166
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 67 50
Accommodations and Food Service 134 109
Other Services (Except Public Administration) 157 147
Public Administration and Active Duty Military 248 216

 

Table 4.23.4 Industrial Sector of Civilian Respondents' Most Recent Job
by Survey Year: NLSY79 Females 2002-2004

Industrial Sector Survey Years
2002 2004
All Females 3399 3285
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting 21 12
Mining 2 3
Utilities 14 17
Construction 60 55
Manufacturing 322 286
Wholesale Trade 71 72
Retail Trade 316 298
Transportation and Warehousing 114 108
Information 94 87
Finance and Insurance 195 187
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 54 51
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 157 153
Management, Administrative and Support, and Waste 163 151
Educational Services 418 426
Healthcare and Social Assistance 558 760
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 224 45
Accommodations and Food Service 210 203
Other Services (Except Public Administration) 153 140
Public Administration and Active Duty Military 253 231

User Notes: McClaskie (1988) analyzed the extent of match between the three-digit industry codes assigned during 1979–86 for respondents who had not changed jobs since the previous interview. These codes would theoretically match if no respondent or coding error was present. This analysis found two- and three-digit matches of approximately 80 percent for most years studied.

Survey Instruments: The “Current Labor Force Status - CPS” section of the questionnaire collects the respondent’s verbatim response, from which a code is assigned to the industry of his or her most recent job. The “Jobs” section of the 1979 questionnaire and, for subsequent years, the Employer Supplements gather information on the industries of all other jobs in which a respondent worked more than 10/20 hours per week for at least nine weeks since the date of last interview. 

Data Files: The “CPS” area of interest houses the 1970 Census codes for the most recent job variables; however, the 1980 Census coding of these variables is located in the yearly “Misc. xxxx” area of interest. “Job Information” contains the variables for the industry of up to four other jobs. 

Comparison to Other NLS Cohorts: Information has been collected from the NLSY79 young adults on the type of industry in which they worked. Industry is collected each year from NLSY97 respondents for both employee (respondents age 14 or older) and self-employed jobs (respondents age 16 or older) according to the 1990 three-digit census industrial classification system. For the Mature and Young Women, industry has been coded using 1960, 1980, and 1990 systems. The industries of Older and Young Men were recorded using 1960 codes for all years; in the final two Older Men surveys, industry was doublecoded using the 1980 system. For more information, consult BLS website at http://www.bls.gov/nls or the appropriate cohort’s User’s Guide


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