4.24 Job Characteristics

The variables discussed in this section are limited to the 1979 and 1982 data collections for the NLSY79. Descriptions of the broader range of job characteristic data available for the NLSY79 can be found in the "Jobs & Employers" section of this guide.

NLSY79 surveys conducted in 1979 and 1982 included a series of questions on characteristics of the respondents’ current job, e.g., the amount of variety, amount of autonomy, opportunity to deal with people or develop friendships, opportunity to complete tasks, amount of significance they attributed to their job, and amount of performance feedback received. Items for this scale, the Job Characteristics Index (JCI), were developed by Sims, Szilagyi, and Keller and are an extension of the work first begun by Turner and Lawrence in 1965. 

The JCI was preceded by an instrument developed by Hackman and Oldham known as the Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS), dimensions of which are also incorporated in the JCI, although in a simpler format. Comparisons of the JCI and JDS by Dunham et al. have shown that both scales tend to collapse to a one-dimensional scale measuring job complexity. Therefore, the JCI was shortened by selecting one scale item that loaded strongly on each of the dimensions of job complexity shown to be important in earlier research. In their 1976 article, Sims et al. reported the necessary factor analysis scores used to obtain the abbreviated scale. Question and reference numbers for the seven items that comprise the shortened JDI scale are listed in Table 4.24.1.

Table 4.24.1 Variables Needed to Construct
the Job Characteristics Index: NLSY79

Survey Instruments: These questions are found within the "Current Labor Force Status" or "CPS" sections of each questionnaire.

Data Files: The NLSY79 variables have been placed within the "Misc. 1979" and "Misc. 1982" files.

Comparison to Other NLS Cohorts: For employee jobs, respondents in each cohort have reported the following information in at least some survey years: start and stop dates, labor force characteristics, class of worker, collective bargaining status, and firm size. The NLSY97 collected an employment history for three types of jobs: employee jobs, freelance jobs, and military service. No information on freelance jobs has been collected from the other NLS cohorts, although job information for self-employed respondents has been gathered as a part of the regular employment section. The Young Men survey collected information on the characteristics of the respondents’ current job, and if applicable, information about military service, including pay and occupational data. Older Men reported the dates of any military service. For further details, consult the BLS website at http://www.bls.gov/nls or the appropriate cohort’s User’s Guide.

References

Dunham, Randall B.; Aldag, Ramon; and Brief, Arthur P. "Dimensionality of Task Design as Measured by the Job Diagnostic Survey." Academy of Management Journal 20,2 (June 1977): 209-23

Hackman, J.R. and Oldham, J.R. "Development of the Job Diagnostic Survey." Journal of Applied Psychology 60 (1975): 159-70.

Hills, Stephen M. "The Attitudes of Union & Nonunion Male Workers Toward Union Representation." Industrial & Labor Relations Review 38,2 (January 1985): 179-94.

Pierce, Jon L. and Dunham, Randall B. "The Measurement of Perceived Job Characteristics: The Diagnostic Survey vs. the Job Characteristics Inventory." Academy of Management Journal 21,1 (March 1978): 123-28.

Sims, Henry R.; Szilagyi, Andrew; and Keller, Robert. "The Measurement of Job Characteristics." Academy of Management Journal 26,2 (June 1976): 195-212.