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

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

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

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

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.