79 Guide Jobs & Employers

This section discusses the types of employer and job characteristic information available on the NLSY79 main data files. A series of closely related variables providing information on (1) time spent with an employer, i.e., start and stop dates for each job, hours, tenure, type of shift worked; (2) time spent away from an employer either on unpaid or paid leave, i.e., gaps within jobs; and (3) periods not working or in the military, i.e., gaps between jobs, are discussed in the "Time & Tenure with Employers" section of this guide. For more information on jobs see the "Work History Data" section of this guide.

The NLSY79 collects detailed information about individual employers for whom a respondent has worked. These data are gathered within several sections of the main questionnaire and in some years in separately administered, job-specific instruments called Employer Supplements.

This section reviews the NLSY79 respondent-provided employer information and the survey instruments that collect these data. It then discusses in more detail (1) the types of employers about whom information is collected during each survey round; (2) the variable series which provides a cumulative count of employers for whom a respondent has worked; and (3) how information collected on a specific employer can be linked both within and across survey years. Concluding this section is an overview of the various types of job characteristic data that describe a respondent’s employer and the position the respondent holds with that employer.

Readers should note that all references to a “job” are essentially references to a given employer; thus, the terms “job” and “employer” are used interchangeably within most NLSY79 employer-related discussions. This section assumes that the reader possesses some general understanding of (1) the Current Population Survey (CPS) and its relevance to the NLSY79 questionnaire section by that name and (2) the functions of several NLSY79 survey instruments used in the collection of employer information, namely the questionnaire, the Employer Supplement (ES), and the Information Sheet. Background information on these subject areas can be found in the "Labor Force Status" and "Survey Instruments" sections of this guide.

Employer Data Collection: Detailed information is collected during each interview on new and previously reported employers for whom a respondent has worked since the date of the last interview. Two sets of employers are identified based upon when the respondent first reports working for that employer: (1) new employers for whom the respondent reported working since the date of the last interview and (2) previously reported employers with whom employment has been maintained (for any length of time) or renewed since the date of the last interview. Previous employers (category 2) are further distinguished by whether the respondent was working for them at or before the date of the last interview.

Until 1994, the current or most recent employer, called the “CPS employer,” is differentiated in the data set from other employers for whom the respondent reported working since the last interview by title (i.e. start date for CPS job, start date for Job #2, start date for Job #3, etc.). Beginning in 1994 CPS job information is simply labeled as “job #1” because job specific information is all collected in the Employer Supplement. Every employer for whom a respondent worked since the last interview, including the CPS employer, is identified within the data set by a yearly job number, e.g., Job #1, Job #5, with the number reflecting the order in which the job was reported. The detailed job characteristic information at the end of this section is collected for each CPS job, regardless of whether it is a full- or part-time job.

Because the NLSY79 employer data collection relies on the successive administration of several survey instruments that not only gather information on multiple employers but also connect that information to data provided during earlier interviews, a brief overview of the mechanics of each interview’s job collection effort follows.

Administration of the Survey Instruments Collecting Job Information: Two different sections of the NLSY79 questionnaire and until 1993 separate employer-specific survey instruments called the Employer Supplements (ES) collect employer-related information. Using these two instruments, interviewers gather details about all employers for whom a respondent has worked since the date of last interview. An interviewing aid called the Information Sheet is also provided to each interviewer; this document lists the names of employers reported during previous surveys and is used by the interviewer during the current interview to update each respondent’s work record with a previous employer, if work with an employer took place since the date of last interview.

Capturing jobs outside of the traditional forms of employment: In rounds previous to 2002, the survey had trouble capturing information about jobs outside of the traditional forms of employment. One key type of job is self-employment; respondents who own their own businesses sometimes had difficulty with questions phrased under the assumption that the respondent worked for someone else. The second type of job is nontraditional employment, wherein the respondent works for a temporary agency, under some type of contract, or in an on-call arrangement. Respondents in this kind of employment tend to have a large number of jobs and gaps in employment, and the survey had trouble capturing this information efficiently in past rounds.

On jobs: Beginning with the 2002 survey, the section on jobs serves two functions. First, as in previous survey rounds, the respondent reports all of his or her employers since the last interview, so that they can be rostered. Second, a new set of questions is asked to ascertain whether the job has characteristics of self-employment, regular employment, or nontraditional employment.

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 help agency, is an on-call worker (that is, is called to work only when needed, not in addition to regular hours), or works for a company that provides services to other companies under contract. To confirm that the respondent is a regular employee, a final set of questions asks whether the respondent’s supervisor is employed by the same company and whether the company provides the respondent’s tools or equipment. If the job is still unidentified at this point, the respondent is simply asked to describe his or her unique situation and answer questions in the regular employer supplement to the survey. Experience with 2002 and 2004 survey rounds indicates that this situation is extremely rare.

Employer supplements: After all of the respondent's jobs have been rostered and classified by type of employment, the survey moves into the employer supplements.

The first type of employment is a regular or traditional job and the only significant change in the regular employment questions relates to teachers. Because teachers often are paid for only a set number of months per year, they sometimes find it difficult to answer the pay rate questions. To address this issue, a new set of pay rate questions was added for all jobs identified as teaching positions, including both K-12 schools and colleges. These questions first ask teachers whether they are paid by the course or are salaried. If they are paid by the course, the survey records the amount paid per course and the number of courses taught in the calendar year. If, instead, the respondent receives a regular salary, the survey asks about the number of paychecks received per year and the amount received per check. The survey also records payments for additional assignments, such as a coaching stipend or summer school pay. This approach allows survey staff to create an accurate rate of pay, regardless of whether the teacher is paid by the course or is on a 9-month, 10-month, or full-year schedule.

The second type of employment is self-employment. Although some questions are the same as in the traditional employer supplement, many questions were reworded to make them more applicable to self-employment, and new questions, tailored to record critical information about the respondent’s business, were added. The respondent reports whether the business is a farm or ranch, whether the business is based in the respondent’s home, whether there are other partners in the business, and how many paid employees the business has. Respondents also state whether they consider the business to be their main or secondary job. As with questions about traditional employment, respondents report periods not working, hours usually worked per week, industry and occupation, whether the business is incorporated, the availability of fringe benefits, the availability of and participation in a pension plan, and job satisfaction. New questions ask for details about the value of the business, beyond the basic information previously collected in the section on assets. If the business has been liquidated or sold, the respondent reports why this happened, whether he or she received money or property, and whether he or she is entitled to any future earnings or property from the business.

The third set of revisions, geared toward nontraditional employers, encompasses the most substantial changes from previous surveys. Respondents working in nontraditional situations tend to have sporadic employment with frequent job changes. In previous rounds, reporting of this type of employment caused some confusion. For example, some respondents who were employed through a temporary agency reported each separate job they were assigned to through that agency and each gap between those temporary assignments. This led to lengthy and difficult interviews. The new section more clearly specifies that the respondent should consider the temporary or contracting agency as his or her employer, rather than reporting each assignment separately. The new section also guides respondents in reporting these types of jobs correctly.

Some questions in the series on nontraditional employers focus on the temporary or contracting agency. Information recorded about the agency (rather than each assignment) includes hours usually worked, the availability of fringe benefits, the availability of and participation in a pension plan, union status, and job satisfaction.

Respondents then report on their assignment history, including the number of assignments since the last interview or the start of the job, the amount earned, whether they are currently on an assignment, and, if so, how long that assignment is expected to last. If the respondent reports five or more periods not working during his or her tenure with the temporary agency, a series of questions asks about the number of weeks without an assignment and whether any of those weeks were spent working for another employer. For both the longest spell not working and the most recent spell, respondents then report the dates of the spell, the reason why they were not working, whether they were looking for work or were on layoff, and, if they were not looking for work, the reason why they were not looking. Respondents with fewer than five gaps in tenure with an employer report this information for each spell.

Finally, respondents answer a set of questions about their most recent assignment through the temporary or contracting agency. These questions generally mirror the questions asked about traditional employers. With reference to the most recent assignment, respondents report the industry and occupation of the job, job sector, whether the business was incorporated, the rate of pay, and the shift worked.

A quick overview of the instruments used to collect NLSY79 jobs data and the function each performs is provided in Table 4.27.1. The sequence in which employer-related questionnaire sections are administered has implications for the universe of respondents for whom job-related information is available. During all surveys to date, the “Military” section of the questionnaire has been administered prior to the two employer-related sections, the “CPS” and “On Jobs,” and the Employer Supplements. After completing the “Military” section of the questionnaire, those respondents serving in the active forces were skipped past most or all of the CPS section to the “On Jobs” section in order to determine if they had been engaged in any non-military work since the last interview. Those not currently in the active forces have been routed directly to the CPS section, where detailed information on their current or most recent job and other labor market activities is collected.

Sections of the Main Questionnaire
"CPS"	"On Jobs"
Until 1993, functioned to identify the respondent’s current or most recent job and to collect detailed information about the CPS job. Beginning in 1994, no job specific information was collected in the CPS section. Instead, it is all collected in the Employer Supplements.	Identifies and lists, in reverse chronological order, all employers for whom the respondent has worked SINCE the date of last interview (excluding the CPS job). Checks to see that the respondent has not missed any employers for whom he or she was working AT the date of last interview. Since 1993, this section mechanically determines the CPS job. In 2002, nontraditional jobs added.

Employer-Specific Instruments
Employer Supplements (ES)
Collect, in separate employer-specific supplements, detailed information on each employer for whom the respondent worked SINCE the date of last interview. The first instrument is generally completed about the CPS job and supplements information on that job collected in the CPS section of the main questionnaire. Additional supplements are completed for each job listed in the “On Jobs” section. Since 1993, Job #1 is always the CPS job if there is a CPS job. Since 1994 all CPS job information is collected in ES#1, as with all other jobs. In 2002, irregular pay (teachers on partial year contracts) and self employment added.

Interviewing Aid
Information Sheet
Provides each interviewer with a respondent-specific list of employers for whom a respondent has reported working between the previous two interviews. Questions in both the “On Jobs” section of the main questionnaire and in each Employer Supplement route the interviewer to the names of employers for whom the respondent reported working at an earlier interview. Two sets of employers are listed: (1) names of each employer reported AT the date of last interview and (2) names of each employer for whom a respondent worked between the last and the PREVIOUS to the last interviews. An Employer Supplement is completed for each employer listed on the Information Sheet if the respondent has worked for that employer since the date of last interview.

The universe for the CPS variables, thus, is civilian respondents—those not serving in the active forces—who were working for pay either during the survey week or since the date of last interview. The universe for “On Jobs” includes all respondents, both civilian and military. Users should note that although the sequencing of the “Military,” “CPS,” and “On Jobs” sections was modified in the 1993 CAPI-administered interviews, no universe changes occurred.

During each interview, a separate Employer Supplement is completed about each employer for whom the respondent worked. Questions in each ES link information about these earlier jobs with the employer information collected in the CPS section of the main questionnaire, if appropriate, and with the employer (job) number of this employer, if any, assigned at the previous interview. Users should note that, after the implementation of CAPI, the Employer Supplement physically became a part of the questionnaire.

NLSY79 Employer Types: This section discusses the various types of employers about which information is collected during each survey. Incorporated within the discussion is specific information on (1) how the CPS employer is designated; (2) how information on the CPS job—collected during many survey years within two separate survey instruments—can be linked; and (3) how a specific employer for whom a respondent has worked since the last interview can be matched to the same employer reported during a previous interview.

Current or Most Recent (CPS) Employer: The NLSY79 replicates questions from the Current Population Survey, which specify the employer(s) with whom a respondent is associated at the time of the survey. A “CPS employer,” or current/most recent employer, is designated for each civilian NLSY79 respondent who reported working for pay at some point since the last interview.

The methods employed to identify an employer as the CPS employer vary by interview mode. During the 1979–92 paper-and-pencil interviews, the CPS job was identified by NORC interviewers from the respondent’s answer to the following open-ended question:

"For whom did you work last (week)? IF MORE THAN ONE EMPLOYER, PROBE: for whom did you work the most hours during the last week (you worked)?"

The actual name of the respondent’s employer [e.g., the Aspen Ski Company, Oliver’s Saloon] is manually recorded in the questionnaire and entered on the cover page of an Employer Supplement. Because not all respondents were at work during the survey week and some were at work for more than one employer, detailed instructions on how to identify the CPS employer are provided to NORC interviewers within the round-specific Question by Question Specifications manuals. A summary of instructions from the 1996 interviewers’ manual appears in Table 4.27.2.

Table 4.27.2 Instructions to Interviewers for Identifying the CPS Employer for Civilian NLSY79 Respondents: 1996

For those not at work during the survey week but who worked for pay since the last interview: the CPS employer is the most recent employer

For those who worked during the survey week

for one employer: the CPS employer is the current employer
for two or more employers: the CPS employer is the employer for whom the respondent worked the most hours
for two or more employers with the same number of hours each employer: the CPS employer is the employer for whom the respondent worked the longest

For those absent from their regular job during the survey week but who were working temporarily for another employer: the CPS employer is the current employer not the employer of absence

Source: CHRR. Question by Question Specifications - Main Questionnaire - NLS Round 17 (Q6 - Q33).

Information on the CPS job has been collected during the 1980–93 survey years within the CPS section of the main questionnaire and within a single ES for 1980–1998. Comparable information was gathered during 1979 in the “CPS” and “On Jobs” sections of the main questionnaire. A variable named, ‘Is There a CPS Employer?’ R41819. in 1993 for example, specifies whether or not there is a CPS employer for each respondent. The various types of job characteristic information collected about each CPS job/employer are discussed below.

Beginning with the 1993 CAPI-administered interviews, the CPS job is identified by internal CAPI procedures which factor in, for civilian respondents, stop date information specific to each recorded job. Additional information on CAPI CPS-designation procedures, e.g., how the CAPI program handles multiple employers with the same stop date, can be found in the documentation item entitled "Introduction to the 1993 through 2000 CAPI Questionnaires and Codebooks" in the 1979-2000 Codebook Supplement.

Employers since the Last Interview-Jobs #1-#5: The “On Jobs” section of the questionnaire and the job-specific Employer Supplements, both administered during most survey years immediately after the CPS section, gather information about each employer for whom a respondent worked since the date of last interview. A separate Employer Supplement (ES) is completed for each since-last-interview employer. Although information is collected about all employers for whom a respondent worked since the last interview, data on only the first five jobs or employers are released on the NLSY79 main data set. In each survey, the number of respondents who report more than five jobs is less than one percent of those interviewed.

During pre-1993 PAPI surveys, interviewers were instructed to collect information on the jobs a respondent held in reverse chronological order, with the current or most recent job first, followed by the next most recent, etc. This means that for most—although not all—respondents, Job #1 will be the CPS job, Job #2 could be the job held concurrently with the CPS job or immediately preceding it, and so forth. The job number to which the content of the variable refers, e.g., Job #1, Job #2, etc., is appended to each variable title. The mechanics used to designate the CPS job in post-1992 CAPI interviews results in all CPS jobs being Job #1. Before 1994, the collection of information on the CPS job within the CPS section of the main questionnaire and within a separate ES means that researchers may find it necessary to link information collected within the two instruments or sections. The variable series that enables these data to be linked is described briefly below. Users should note that while the data set contains only information on the first five jobs, all created variables, such as time worked during the year, are based on information on all jobs reported by the respondent.

Linking Job #1 - Job #5 to the CPS Job: During administration of each Employer Supplement, an interviewer check item determines whether the employer about whom information is being collected, e.g., Job #1, is the CPS employer recorded in the CPS section of the main questionnaire. Interviewer responses to this item are found in the variable series ‘Int Check - Is Job #X Same as Current Job?’ Available for each survey year, these variables can be used to link information about the CPS job collected in an ES to that collected about the CPS job in the main questionnaire for survey years 1979–92.

Employers at or Prior to Date of Last Interview: In order to construct a continuous work record with each employer, information collected during the current interview is connected to data gathered about the same employer during earlier interviews. Information is updated on two sets of employers: (1) those employers for whom a respondent was actually working at the time of the last interview; and (2) those employers for whom a respondent had previously worked but for whom he or she was not working at the last interview date. Note: Information on these previous-to-last-interview employers is collected only if the respondent reports working again for that employer.

A separate interviewing aid called the Information Sheet provides NORC interviewers with a listing of the names and respective job numbers of each of these previous employers. Each set of employers is listed under a different Information Sheet item, e.g., Item 05, Item 06, etc. Users should note that these Information Sheet item numbers are not consistently numbered across years, e.g., the “at date of last interview” employers appear as Item 12 in 1980 but as Item 05 in 1991, while the “previous to date of last interview” employers appear as Item 13 in 1980 but as Item 06 in 1991. These Information Sheet item numbers are referenced within the ES question verbatims and will be found in the title of each such variable, as illustrated below. Questions at the beginning of each ES route the interviewer to the name and job number of each such employer listed on the Information Sheet in order to connect information collected during the current survey with information on that same employer gathered during an earlier interview. Matching of employers across survey years is made possible with the linking variables described below:

Linking Job #1 - Job #5 to a Previous Employer: Employers for whom the respondent worked at an earlier survey about which information is collected during the current interview can be matched via a set of variables entitled ‘Employer Number from Info Sheet, Item XX That Matches, Job #X.’ These variables are taken directly from interviewer transcriptions (or since 1993, from the CAPI item) in each ES, which link the job number of an employer identified during a previous interview to that of the (same) employer about whom information is being collected in the current survey year’s ES. The variable titles of this series include a reference to the Information Sheet item reflective of the series to which it belongs; in the examples below, the item 05 variables in the 1991 survey reference those employers for whom the respondent worked at the last interview (i.e., 1990 or earlier), while the 06 titles indicate employers reported previous to the last interview.

The Employer number for continuing employers will appear in one item or the other, not both. In other words, if Employer #2 appears under item #5, it cannot also appear under item #6. Since 1993, only one variable per job has been needed with the previous employer number. Users should note that question numbers assigned to these variables reflect the actual questions found in each Employer Supplement. These linkage variables should not be confused with a second set which contain, within their variable titles, similar references to Information Sheet items. These variables, entitled ‘Info Sheet Item 05 - 1st Employer at Time of Last Interview,’ or ‘Info Sheet Item 06 - 1st Previous Employer,’ do not provide comparable match information. Instead, they provide the job number of the first, second, third, etc., employer for whom a respondent worked at the time of an earlier interview, e.g., the job number of the first employer at the time of the last interview was “01.” These variables should be used only to count the total number of jobs a respondent reported at an earlier date, not as a means of linking such past employment to a job about which information is being reported at the current interview. These non-match variables are identified by their reference number on a facsimile Information Sheet distributed with the NLSY79 main file documentation set. This variable series can be distinguished from the match set described above by different variable titles and by the assignment of fictitious question numbers as the source of the variable. The procedure for matching employers is detailed in depth in Appendix 9 of the NLSY79 Codebook Supplement.

Jobs Ever Reported as of Interview Date: The variable series ‘Number of Jobs Ever Reported,’ created for each survey year, provides a cumulative measure of the number of different employers that a respondent has reported up to the point of interview. Any employer identified as different from employers at the date of last interview and in the period before the date of last interview is counted as a different or new employer. This set of variables is created by simply counting each such employer in a current survey year and adding that sum to the total from the previous interview year in order to provide a cumulative figure through all survey years.

Users should be aware that a small degree of double-counting of employers may exist in these variables. It is only possible to track a given employer between contiguous interview years in which information was collected on the specific employer. It is therefore conceivable that a respondent who works for a particular employer during one year, leaves that employer for the next year or more and then subsequently returns to that same employer would appear to be working for a new employer during the second tenure because the previous tenure with that employer would have slipped out of scope for tracking purposes.

Program Derivation: The PL/1 program statements used to create the 'Number of Jobs Ever Reported' variables in the pre-1996 Work History program (see the "Work Experience" section of this guide) read as follows:

/* compute current jobever( ) */
jobever(newyear)=0; /* find greatest job cnt in hhold hist */
	do i=(newyear-1) to 1 by -1 while (jobever(newyear)=0);
		if oldhist(i).ojobever=-3 then jobever(newyear)=-3;
		else if oldhist(i).ojobever>0 then jobever(newyear)= oldhist(i).ojobever;
	end;
	if jobever(newyear)>=0 then do; /* add any additional jobs? */
		do i=1 to 10;
			if number(newyear,i)>100 & (previousemp#(newyear,i)=-3 \| previousemp#(newyear,i)=0) then jobever(newyear=-3;
			else if number(newyear,i)>100 & previousemp#(newyear,i)=-4 &jobever(newyear)>=0) then jobever(newyear)=jobever(newyear)+1;
		end;
	end;
end;

Types of Job/Employer Characteristic Information: Descriptive information is collected about each job or employer and about the position a respondent occupies with that employer. The level of detail available for a given job varies by (1) whether or not that job was designated as the current or most recent job and (2) the number of hours per week and/or number of weeks that were worked. Complete job characteristic information is available for those jobs specified as the CPS job, as well as for those jobs at which a respondent reported working more than ten hours a week and for more than nine weeks since the date of last interview. This section briefly summarizes the differences in the kinds of data collected for the CPS versus non-CPS jobs. It then reviews the various types of job characteristic information which are available and refers users to other sections of the guide which discuss each characteristic more fully.

CPS Job: All of the job characteristic information described below—including that on firm size and job satisfaction—is available for the job designated as the “CPS job.” These data are available for any CPS job regardless of whether the job is a full-time, part-time, or temporary job.

During the 1979-1993 interviews, all job characteristic information about the CPS job except that pertaining to usual earnings was collected within the “CPS” section of the main questionnaire. Beginning with the 1994 CAPI interviews, all CPS job-related information is gathered in the Employer Supplement. Wage information across survey years continues to be collected within the job-specific Employer Supplements.

Non-CPS Jobs: Some detailed characteristic information is only available for non-CPS jobs meeting certain time and tenure requirements. Detailed questions are asked about jobs at which the respondent has worked for at least nine weeks since the last interview and at which the respondent generally worked at least 20 (through 1986) or 10 (since 1987) hours per week.

Brief summaries of select sets of job characteristic data appear below. References are provided to other sections of this guide that discuss these variables in more detail. Several other sets of job characteristic variables, e.g., union membership, coverage by a collective bargaining agreement, and whether a respondent’s association with a given employer was the result of a federally sponsored employment and training program, are also covered in other sections of this guide such as "Training."

Class of Worker: For each CPS job (whether full- or part-time) and to each non-CPS job for which a respondent worked for more than ten/twenty hours a week and more than nine weeks since the last interview, a code is assigned indicating whether the respondent (1) works for a private company or for an 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. Both the CPS and non-CPS series further identify government workers as Federal, State, or Local-level employees and distinguish the businesses of self-employed respondents as incorporated or unincorporated. (See the "Class of Worker" section of this guide and refer to the “User Notes” in that section detailing the changes in coding for “Class of Worker” variables.)

Firm Size: The number of employees both at the place where the respondent is currently employed and at other locations is available for the CPS job. These data were collected during all survey years except 1981–85. Beginning in 1994, these variables are available for all employers.

Fringe Benefits: During the 1979–93 interviews, information on the availability of various types of fringe benefits provided by the CPS employer was collected for those respondents working 20 hours or more a week. Beginning with the 1993 survey, those respondents working 20 hours a week or less were also asked if their employer made any benefits available, and if so, which ones. Beginning in 1994, fringe benefit information was collected for both the CPS and non-CPS jobs. [See the "Fringe Benefits" section of this guide.]

Hours: Information on the number of hours worked at the CPS job, at each non-CPS job, and at all jobs combined is available for each survey year. A set of created summary variables provides a count of the total number of hours worked since the date of the last interview and during the past calendar year. Details on the type of shift and the actual clock hours worked have been collected during select survey years for the CPS job. Beginning in 1994, these data were collected for all employers (CPS and non-CPS). [See the "Time & Tenure with Employers" and "Labor Force Status" sections of this guide.]

Industry: A code from the 1970 and 1980 Census industrial classification system is assigned to each CPS job (whether full- or part-time). A 1970 Census industry classification code is assigned to each non-CPS employer for whom a respondent worked for more than ten/twenty hours a week and more than nine weeks since the last interview. [See the "Industries" section of this guide.]

Job Satisfaction: Respondents employed since the last interview are asked to rate, on a four point scale, how they feel about their current or most recent (CPS) job. Beginning in 1994, this information was collected for all CPS and non-CPS jobs. [See the "Job Satisfaction" section of this guide.]

Occupation: A code from the 1970 and 1980 Census occupational classification system is assigned to each CPS job (whether full- or part-time). A 1970 Census occupational code was assigned to each non-CPS employer for whom a respondent worked for more than ten/twenty hours a week and more than nine weeks since the last interview. [See the "Occupations" section of this guide.]

Wages: Rate of pay information, including the time unit of pay, is collected for each CPS and non-CPS job (whether full- or part-time). A series of hourly rate of pay variables are created for each employer for whom a respondent worked since the date of last interview. [See the "Wages" section of this guide.]

Survey Instruments: Select information on the CPS employer can only be found in the CPS section between 1979 and 1993.

Comparison to Other NLS Cohorts: In each survey, extensive information on jobs and employers has been collected from NLSY79 young adults. Beginning in 2000, this series was greatly streamlined with the greatest detail aske donly of the current or most recent primary employer. For employee jobs, respondents in the other cohorts 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 Young Men have provided similar information about military service, including pay and occupational data; Older Men reported the dates of any 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. For further details, consult BLS website at http://www.bls.gov/nls or the appropriate cohort’s User’s Guide.

4.27 Jobs & Employers