Hours Spent At Work

 

Important Information About Using "Hours Spent At Work" Data:

1. In rounds 1 and 2, and part of round 3, some respondents reported working overtime hours and then listed zero for the number of overtime hours worked.  These cases were skipped out of the questions that collected regular hours worked per week excluding overtime.  Therefore, no data were collected on the typical number of hours these respondents worked.  This problem was corrected during the round 3 field period.

2. Information on the usual number of hours worked is also missing in the following cases for rounds 1 and 2:  (1) if the respondent refused to give an amount in the non-hourly wage questions or (2) if the respondent answered "don't know" to both the amount question and the estimated amount follow-up question in the non-hourly wage section. 

3. Respondents age 14 and over with employee jobs and all respondents with freelance jobs provide information about the number of hours worked each week.  Those age 16 and over also report the shift usually worked at employee jobs.  The number of weeks a respondent has worked for a particular employer and the job's start and stop dates are discussed in the Tenure section.

4. If a respondent reported an employer in a later round that he or she also reported in a previous round (in other words, the job was continued across rounds), that employer will retain the original ID code to permit linking across rounds (see the discussion about the creation of the employer roster in Employment: An Introduction).  In addition, the start date information contained in the second round's employer roster reflects the original (previous round's) start date. 

Employee Jobs

Respondents age 14 or older report the number of hours per week that they usually worked at the time that a job began.  For employee jobs lasting at least 13 weeks, the survey asks about the number of hours per week the respondent usually worked when the job ended (or at the time of the survey for on-going jobs).  If the job has already been reported during a previous interview, the start date questions were asked at that time.  In this case, respondents are asked only about the stop date or current interview date if the job lasted at least 13 weeks.

If an employee job ended after or on-going as of the respondent's 16th birthday, data are collected on the respondent's regular shift (e.g., the time of day the shift began and ended, the number of weekdays and/or weekend days usually worked, the number of hours usually worked per weekday and/or weekend day). 

See Work Experience for information on created variables related to hours worked by the respondent.

Freelance Jobs

This section gathers information about the usual number of hours the respondent worked per week as of the job's start date.  The survey also collects data on the total number of days, the number of weekday/weekend days, and the number of hours per weekday/weekend that the respondent worked when the job began.  Respondents are then asked to provide similar information as of the job's end date (or as of the survey date if the job is on-going).

Self-Employment

In rounds 1-3, respondents who were age 16 or older and reported earning $200 or more per week at a freelance job were considered self-employed.  These jobs were included in the freelance section.  Beginning in round 4, the structure of the questionnaire changed and respondents were divided by age.  Those born in 1980-82 (or in 1980-83 for round 5) reported self-employment along with regular employee jobs and were skipped past the freelance section (see the Employee Jobs section above for details about time spent at work).  Younger respondents born in 1983-84 (or in 1984 only for round 5) continued to list self-employment in the freelance section (see Freelance Jobs above).  Beginning in round 6, all respondents are treated like the older respondents in rounds 4 and 5.

Comparison to Other NLS Surveys:  Most interviews of the NLSY79 include information on usual hours worked per week and usual shift worked.  The exact time the shift began and ended is available beginning in 1986.  The number of hours worked and the usual shift worked have also been collected from Children of the NLSY79 age 15 and older since 1994.  The Mature and Young Women regularly reported the number of hours usually worked per day and per week; they reported exact times shifts begin and end starting in 1995.  Older and Young Men reported the usual number of hours per week only.  For more information, consult the appropriate cohort's User's Guide.

Survey Instruments:  These questions are found in the employment section of the Youth Questionnaire.  Question names begin with YEMP- and roster items begin with YEMP_.

Related User's Guide Sections

 Gaps in Employment
Tenure

Main Area of Interest

 Created Variables
Time Spent at Work
Supplemental Areas of Interest Expectations
Tenure w/ Employer
Wages & Compensation