Labor Force Status | National Longitudinal Surveys

Prior to 2000, the Current Labor Force Status (CPS) questions in the Young Adult were very similar to those asked of the NLSY79 main Youth, as Young Adults not currently serving in the active military were asked about work activities during the last week. The survey determined if the respondent did any work for pay or profit, or unpaid work in a family business or farm. There were questions on whether respondents had a disability that prevented them from doing work, the number of jobs held or businesses worked at, and hours per week usually worked at each job. If they were currently laid off, they were asked about the duration of the layoff and job search activities engaged in. Those not working were asked about when they last worked, if they were searching for a job, and whether they were using active and/or passive job search methods. In 2000, the CPS section was eliminated. An official Labor Force Status variable for the week of the survey interview has not been created for Young Adults.

Comparison to Other NLS Cohorts: The NLSY79 surveys have included a "Current Labor Force Status" (CPS) section in all survey rounds. Data are available on the work activity of those NLSY79 children who were age ten and over at the interview date as well as on each mother's survey week activity and work history during quarterly periods preceding and following the child's birth.

Current labor force status is determined for all respondents in the NLSY97 and the four Original Cohorts for each survey year. However, the current labor force status questions were changed for the women's cohorts in 1995 to reflect the redesign of the CPS. Users should use caution when comparing labor force status from surveys before these years to the NLSY79. For more precise details about the content of each survey, consult the appropriate cohort's User's Guide using the tabs above for more information.

Survey Instruments	Employment-related questions are found in the Young Adult Instrument, Section 7, Jobs & Employers Supplements. Some are also found in Section 9, Last Job Lasting Two Weeks or More, and Section 10, First Significant Job after Leaving School. For 1994-1998, see Section 6, Current Labor Force Status.
Areas of Interest	YA CPS. Other employment-related variables are found in YA Job Information, YA Jobs, YA First Job After High School, YA Last Job, YA Last Significant Job. Note: For the 1994 through 1998 surveys, data from Section 7 are found in YA Jobs, while data from the Employer Supplements are found in the YA Job Information. For the 2000 through the current survey year, all data from the integrated looped section are found in YA Job Information, allowing users to follow the question flow from the CAPI questionnaire.

Survey Instruments

Employment-related questions are found in the Young Adult Instrument, Section 7, Jobs & Employers Supplements. Some are also found in Section 9, Last Job Lasting Two Weeks or More, and Section 10, First Significant Job after Leaving School. For 1994-1998, see Section 6, Current Labor Force Status.

Areas of Interest

YA CPS. Other employment-related variables are found in YA Job Information, YA Jobs, YA First Job After High School, YA Last Job, YA Last Significant Job. Note: For the 1994 through 1998 surveys, data from Section 7 are found in YA Jobs, while data from the Employer Supplements are found in the YA Job Information. For the 2000 through the current survey year, all data from the integrated looped section are found in YA Job Information, allowing users to follow the question flow from the CAPI questionnaire.