NLSY79

Time and tenure questions provide information on a respondent's time spent with an employer, time spent away from an employer during which the employment contract was maintained or renewed, and periods of time when the respondent was neither working for an employer nor serving in the active forces.

• Hours Worked
• Shift and Times Worked
• Periods Working for an Employer Including Unpaid and Paid Leave
• Total Tenure with Employer
• Periods Not Working or in the Military

Hours worked

During each survey, information is collected on:

• the number of hours during the survey week that a respondent worked at all jobs
• the number of hours per day and week usually worked at the CPS job; and
• the usual hours per day and per week worked at the non-CPS Jobs #1-5

Post-1987 surveys differentiated, for each job, the number of hours worked at home from the hours worked at the place of employment. Follow-up questions double check that these at-home hours are included in the total hours reported working. The creation procedures for the 'Hourly Rate of Pay 'variables factor in all values.

Shift and times worked

Data on the type of shift usually worked at the respondent's current or most recent (CPS) job, such as "day shift," "evening shift," or "split shift," have been collected during all but the 1986 and 1987 surveys. Beginning with the 1986 survey, information on the actual times (24 hour clock) that a respondent usually began and ended the CPS job is available. Coding categories for the 1988 and 1989 shift variables were collapsed. All respondents were asked a follow-up question beginning in 1990 on the actual or usual time work began and ended during the last week (or most recent week) they worked.

Periods working for an employer including unpaid and paid leave

Periods of time that a respondent worked for a specific employer can be identified through information collected on dates that employment began and ended. Those respondents with a stop date for an employer are asked for information on the reason the job ended and whether a new job was lined up before the respondent left this job. Interrupted employment with an employer of one week or more during which the respondent was either on unpaid leave or unpaid vacation is also detailed. The total number of such separate within-job gaps is identified, along with the specific start and stop dates and the main reason for not working, such as "on strike," "on layoff," "quit job but returned to same employer," "job ended but began again," "attending school," "health problems," "childcare problems," "pregnancy," and so forth.

Information also is available on whether the respondent was looking for work during "some," "none," or "all" of the weeks during a period of not working. For those respondents who indicate that "some" weeks were spent looking for work or on layoff, information is available on the number of weeks duration for each period of unemployment or layoff, the total number of weeks spent looking and not looking, and the main reason he or she was not looking for work. Users should note that the specific week numbers during which the respondent was unemployed versus out of the labor force within a single gap are not available if both statuses apply. Information is collected only on the total number of weeks that were spent in either of the two nonemployed labor force statuses. For example, an eight-week within-job gap that occurred between week number 152 and week number 160 may identify two of those weeks as weeks of unemployment and six of those weeks as out of the labor force. It will not designate the specific week numbers 154 and 155 as the precise two weeks that the respondent was unemployed as opposed to out of the labor force.

During post-1987 surveys, female respondents (only) are asked for information on the total number of separate periods of paid leave from an employer which were taken due to either pregnancy or birth of a child. Start and stop dates are collected for each period of leave.

Types of information collected about periods of paid and unpaid leave are summarized in Table 1.

Table 1. Gaps in employment

Total tenure with employer

The variable series 'Total Tenure (in Weeks) with Employer as of Interview Date Job #X' is created from

• the start (or last interview) and stop dates for an employer
• a match, if any, of employers identified during the current interview as the same employer from a previous interview year

Tenure in weeks with an employer is first calculated for the period between the date of last interview and the current interview date (tenure since the date of last interview). Next, a match with employers reported during the previous interview is attempted. If such a match is established, the total tenure in weeks with the matched employer from the previous interview is added to the total weeks tenure with that employer since the date of last interview. This creates a cumulative tenure in weeks with that employer from the time the employer was first reported up to the most recent week worked. Tenure with employers for whom no match exists in the previous interview is simply the tenure with that employer since the date of last interview. Further information on matching employers can be found in Appendix 9: Linking Employers through Survey Years and in Appendix 18: NLSY79 Work History Data included in the NLSY79 Codebook Supplement.

Tenure is cumulative through contiguous survey years, beginning on the first date the respondent reports working for the employer (the start date) and ending on the date the respondent reports leaving the employer (the stop date). If a respondent started working for an employer before or on the date of last interview, tenure since the date of last interview is added to the already existing time to reflect total tenure. If the respondent is working for the employer on the current interview date, the stop date is set to the current date. If the respondent reports working for this employer at the next interview, tenure between interviews is added to the total tenure figure.

For example, imagine the following scenario. A respondent starts working for COMPANY A on July 7, 1989, and is interviewed on July 31, 1989. She is still working for that company on August 1, 1990, when she is interviewed again. She continues to work for the same company until May 15, 1991 when she leaves. She is interviewed again on August 15, 1991. A cumulative tenure in number of weeks would be constructed in three stages:

• T1 = [Tenure from July 7, 1989 - July 31, 1989 at the 1989 interview]
• T2 = T1 + [Tenure from August 1, 1989 - August 1, 1990 at 1990 interview]
• T3 = T2 + [Tenure from August 2, 1990 - May 15, 1991 (time worked for COMPANY A between 1990 and 1991 interview, before respondent left)]
• TENURE WITH COMPANY A (at 1989 interview) = T1
• TENURE WITH COMPANY A (at 1990 interview) = T2
• TENURE WITH COMPANY A (at 1991 interview) = T3

Periods not working or in the military

During each survey, information is collected on up to six periods since the date of last interview during which a respondent is not affiliated with an employer or in the active military. Data available for each period of not working include month, day, and year that the period began and ended; the specific week numbers associated with the period of not working; whether any of these weeks (coded as "none," "some," or "all") was spent looking for work or on layoff; and, the number of weeks spent looking for work or on layoff, the number of weeks the respondent was out of the labor force, and the main reason that the respondent was not looking for work. All respondents with between-job gaps are asked the questions on periods of not working.

Regularly fielded sections of NLSY79 instruments have collected information on the occupation of respondents' current/last job, jobs since last interview, military job, vocational/technical or government training programs, type of job to which they aspired, and, for those unemployed and out of the labor force, the kind of occupation they were seeking or planned to seek. In addition to this respondent-specific information, data on occupations are also available for other family members, including the spouse and parents of the respondent. Finally, the 1980 school survey collected data on the types of vocational/technical training offered within a respondent's high school.

Verbatim responses to open-ended questions eliciting information on kinds of work or training are entered directly into the survey instrument by the interviewer and subsequently coded using one or more occupational coding schemes. The occupational classification systems listed in Figure 1 have been used to code occupations within the NLSY79. Background information on the development of the 1980 classification system and the relationship between the 1970 and 1980 coding categories is available in the 1989 Census publication listed in this section's references.

References

Duncan, O.D. "A Socioeconomic Index for All Occupations." In Occupations and Social Status, A.J. Reiss, Jr. et al. New York: Free Press, 1961.

U.S. Census Bureau. 1970 Census of Population: Alphabetical Index of Industries and Occupations. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1971.

U.S. Census Bureau. 1980 Census of Population: Alphabetic Index of Industries and Occupations. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1981.

U.S. Census Bureau. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) [standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy]. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/naics/ 2007.

U.S. Department of Defense. "Occupational Conversion Manual: Enlisted/Officer/ Civilian, Defense Manpower Center." Arlington, VA: DOD 1312.1-M, 1977.

The NLSY79 is unique in that respondents are chosen from both the civilian and military populations. Since most surveys focus on one or the other, researchers rarely can compare outcomes simultaneously for both groups. Funding by the U.S. Department of Defense in the early years of the survey and continued interest by BLS has enabled the NLSY79 to collect a large amount of data on military occupations, training, wages, and testing scores.

Although funding cutbacks reduced the size of the military sample in 1985, military questions continue to be a part of every round of the NLSY79. Researchers will find that the questionnaires from 1979 to 1985 contain substantial information on military experience. While questionnaires from 1986 on contain less information, the interviews continued to ask respondents about key variables such as military enlistment, pay, and training. Researchers should note that respondents age 16 and under at the 1979 interview were not asked any military service questions; this group was asked three questions concerning attitude toward military service and the possibility of enlisting in the future.

NLSY79 military members consist of two groups. The first group is a special oversample of members of the Armed Forces. This group, which in 1979 included 1,280 respondents, was reduced to 201 respondents in 1985 because of funding cutbacks. The second group consists of NLSY79 respondents who joined the military while part of the sample. For example, in 1979 (R00431.) 508 respondents stated that they would "definitely try to enlist in the Armed Forces in the future." 

Table 1 shows the number of NLSY79 respondents who are in the active military by year and the number of individuals who have enlisted in any branch of the service since the last interview. Researchers need to understand the difference between active and reserve duty. Large portions of the "Military" section are either skipped or answered depending on a respondent's active or reserve duty status. Many people believe that active duty personnel are in full-time military jobs while reserve duty are part-time military jobs, but this is not the case. While many reservists serve two weeks a year, a number of reservists are employed full time, year round by the Armed Forces. A more complete picture of military service is gained by examining data on both active and reserve personnel.

The NLSY79 contains more than 1,600 variables pertaining to life in the Armed Forces. The following sections explore some of these variables in more depth. Researchers should note that military information can be combined with other NLSY79 data to provide useful insights into residence characteristics, marital status, fertility, and schooling while an individual serves in the Armed Forces.

Military occupation

Questions about military occupations were asked in 1979-85. In each year, respondents in the military were asked to report their primary military occupation (for example, R16324. in 1985) and their secondary occupation (R16337. in 1985). These questions were part of a section that also asked for information about how much training the respondent had recently received. Researchers who use the Census Bureau's 3-digit occupation codes should note that while military occupations also are coded with 3-digit codes, the classification scheme is completely separate. CHRR coded military occupations with codes developed by the Department of Defense (1977). Researchers interested in a respondent's Military Occupation or Specialty (MOS) should search for MOS for Army, Marine Corps, and National Guardsmen. Respondents in the Navy or Naval Reserves are classified by their "Primary Rating," while Air Force and Air Force Reserves respondents are classified by their "Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSC)."

Military training

One focus of the NLSY79 military section is training. In 1980 members of the active Armed Forces were asked why they enlisted in the military (R02516.). The most important reason cited by the majority (217 respondents out of 993) was "To get trained in a skill that will help me get a civilian job when I get out." To understand military training, surveys prior to 1986 asked each respondent about the primary and secondary job for which they were trained.

Pre-1986 surveys also asked military respondents about the number of weeks of formal training received in the military, the amount of on-the-job training, and the amount of formal schooling. Each survey also contains two questions that explore the usefulness of military training for civilian life. One question asks if the respondent is doing the same kind of work in civilian life as in the military; the second asks if the respondent uses any skills learned in the military in any civilian jobs. Researchers interested in more details on how military training is transferable to civilian work should see Mangum and Ball (1986).

Military pay and bonuses

The NLSY79 contains a large amount of information on military pay and bonuses. During the early years of the survey, pay information was collected for individuals in the military, individuals in the reserves, and individuals who had separated from the military. Additional information was gathered on the amount of educational and enlistment benefits received. Finally, for individuals who left the Armed Forces, some interviews contain information on the primary reason for separation. A number of respondents stated low pay as their primary reason for leaving the military. Table 2 summarizes pay variables for members of the military.

ASVAB administration

During the summer and fall of 1980, NLSY79 respondents participated in an effort of the U.S. Departments of Defense and Military Services to update the norms of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). For more details on the AFQT and ASVAB, refer to the Aptitude, Achievement & Intelligence Scores section.

Reference

Mangum, Stephen and Ball, David. Occupational Skill Training and Transferability: How Does the Military Fare? Proceedings of the Thirty-Ninth Annual Meeting, Industrial Relations Research Association (1986) 412-21.

U.S. Department of Defense, Manpower Reserve Affairs and Logistics. Occupational Conversion Manual. Alexandria, VA: D.M.D.C., 1977.

Date of interview labor force status

A series of date of interview (DOI) status variables (listed at the top of this page) has been created for survey years 1980-2016. They are described in more detail in NLSY79 Appendix 29: Date of Interview Current Status Variables. The absence of the CPS section in the 2000–2004 and survey years since 2008 prevented the creation of a strictly comparable set of ESR variables for all survey years. The date of interview variables (DOI_EMPLOYED, DOI_HOURS_WORKED, DOI_RETIRED, DOI_DISABLED) have been created in order to provide a consistent constructed set of variables from comparable data to represent the respondent's status at each date of interview.

NLSY79 CPS sections

The CPS sections of the NLSY79 instruments replicate the questions asked in the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) of American households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Department of Labor. The primary purpose of the monthly CPS is to collect up-to-date information about the number of persons in the country who are employed, unemployed, or not looking for work during a given survey week. Results from the CPS surveys, released in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly publication Employment and Earnings, provide detailed information classified by age, sex, race, and a variety of other characteristics, on the employment and unemployment experiences of the U.S. population. In the NLSY79 data, three series of variables provide information on respondents' current and weekly labor force status. A series of variables titled "ACTIVITY MOST OF SURVEY WEEK" (present for 1979-1993) and "EMPLOYMENT STATUS RECODE" (present for 1979-1998 and 2006) reflects the respondent's labor force status during the week before the survey week. The WEEKLY LABOR STATUS array variables contain the labor force status for each week since January 1, 1978. These point-in-time indicators are complemented by a set of summary measures, which provide a count of the total number of weeks a respondent occupied a given labor force status (such as working, unemployed, out of the labor force, in the active Armed Forces). Data are also available on the work experience of respondents' parents, spouses, and other household members.

Survey week labor force status

The following sets of variables on each respondent's labor force status during the week preceding the survey week are available for the survey years as specified:

Activity most of survey week (1979-93)

The 'Activity Most of Survey Week' variables reflect each civilian respondent's reply to the survey question "What were you doing most of last week?" "Last week" refers to the full calendar week (Sunday through Saturday) preceding the date of interview. The following seven categories of responses have been coded from each year's survey: 

1. working
2. with a job-not at work
3. looking for work
4. keeping house
5. going to school
6. unable to work
7. other

Definitions for each of these activities are intended to be consistent with those used in the CPS survey. Figure 1 provides the set of instructions provided during one survey year to NORC interviewers for coding respondents' labor market status, while Figure 2 gives definitions of key CPS labor force concepts. The main survey week activity question was followed by a second question, which sought to identify those respondents who did some work in addition to a main activity other than working (such as "looking for work" or "going to school"); this follow-up question was asked of all respondents except those who indicated that they were working or were unable to work. It is to these two groups, those whose primary activity during the survey week was working and those who responded that they indeed did some work even though it was not their primary labor force activity, that the series of questions on hours worked was administered.

Work for pay or profit last week (1994-98 and 2006)

Beginning in 1994, the CPS section underwent significant changes as outlined later in this chapter. The 'Activity Most of Survey Week' question was replaced with "Last week, did you do any work for pay or profit?" Respondents can answer yes, no, retired, disabled, or unable to work. For those answering no, follow-up questions determine whether the respondent has a job from which he or she is temporarily absent, such as on vacation, sick leave, labor dispute, military duty, and so forth. Follow-up questions also probe for more information about disabilities or other reasons a respondent is unable to work. Note that the previously used follow-up question no longer exists that sought to identify those who did some work in addition to a main activity other than working.

Employment status recode (1979-98 and 2006)

Created variables called 'Employment Status Recode' (ESR) are available for each survey year through 1998 and again in 2006. These variables recode the survey week activity of civilian NLSY79 respondents into labor force status measures consistent with those developed for the CPS. This recalculation not only factors in the respondent's reported survey week activity but also takes into account variables such as hours worked, whether working for pay, whether looking for work, what the respondent is doing to find work, whether and why he or she was absent from a job, and so forth. Added to the seven labor market status categories listed in (1) above is an eighth category, "in the active forces." The algorithm changed in 1994 in an attempt to match the new CPS algorithm as closely as possible.

Employment status recode-collapsed (1979-98 and 2006)

A collapsed version of ESR is available that classifies all NLSY79 respondents into one of the following four labor market activity categories:

• employed ("working" or "with a job not at work")
• unemployed
• out of the labor force ("keeping house," "going to school," "unable to work," or "other")
• in the active forces

CPS changes in 1994

Beginning in 1994, the "Current Labor Force Status" (CPS) section was changed to ensure that the NLSY79 matched changes that occurred in the Current Population Survey. This survey underwent a major revision in January 1994, thus causing a revision of the corresponding NLSY79 section.

The Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics revised the national CPS for four major reasons: 

• Because the last major CPS revision occurred in 1967, research suggested that the wording of many CPS questions was dated and response lists no longer reflected typical answers. For example, the old set of CPS responses did not have childcare problems on the list of reasons why a respondent was absent from work in the last week.
• In 1979, the National Commission on Employment and Unemployment Statistics, or Levitan Commission, had suggested a number of changes to U.S. labor force classifications. The revised CPS implemented many of the recommendations, such as tightening the definition of discouraged workers.
• Research in survey methodology suggested better ways of asking questions. For example, a new question was inserted before occupation and industry questions that checked if the respondent changed jobs or employers since the last survey. This extra question dramatically reduced the number of spurious job changes recorded.
• Advances in computer technology made it desirable to switch from a paper-and-pencil instrument (PAPI) to a computer-administered instrument (CAPI). Switching to CAPI eliminated a variety of data transcription problems, automated the survey's skip patterns, and allowed answer checks during the interview instead of during a post-processing phase.

NLSY79 users will notice a number of changes when they compare the 1994 NLSY79 CPS section with earlier years. First, there are many more data items is 1994 and subsequent years. The 1993 data set contains data for 87 CPS items, while the 1994 version contains 228 data items. Not all of these new questions contain useful data since a number are internal machine checks. 

Moreover, even though there are more data items, some respondents actually answer fewer questions in the new revised CPS section. For example, the 1994 NLSY79 CPS section contains information on 50 disabled individuals. These individuals answered only a small number of the section's questions. However, for many respondents the revised CPS section contains more in-depth responses. Additional categories of answers were added to many questions, such as how respondents search for work and the number of jobs a multiple-job respondent holds.

Finally, NLSY79 researchers should know that the 1994 CPS section increased the likelihood that a respondent would be classified as unemployed. For example, data from the BLS parallel survey suggest that the revised CPS's introduction increased national unemployment rates by 0.5 percent. Moreover, this increase primarily occurred among women, not men.

Weekly labor force/military status

The detailed information on employment dates and gaps between jobs collected during the regular NLSY79 surveys has permitted the construction of weekly Labor Force Status variables for each NLSY79 respondent for the period January 1, 1978, through the most current survey date. In the event that a respondent is not interviewed for one or more surveys, he or she is asked to provide retrospective information at the first reinterview point in order to maintain a continuous set of variables in the Work History data. Respondents on active military duty were not asked CPS questions. These Labor Force Status variables enable researchers to determine whether, during any week since January 1, 1978, a respondent was

• working
• associated with an employer
• unemployed
• out of the labor force
• not working
• on active military duty (for some survey years)

Because these weekly labor force variables are constructed from actual start and stop dates and information on employment gaps within and between jobs, the coding categories and meanings differ from the survey week and date of interview variables described above. These coding categories are defined in Figure 3. Users should note that the number of weeks in each array is greater than the actual number of weeks filled in to provide a "cushion" when creating the Work History data. The extra weeks found in these arrays contain no valid data. See the Work History section for further details.

NLSY79 job search questions provide data that show what methods were used, how intensively respondents searched, and the outcome of these searches. The survey provides data on topics not found in many other key labor market data sets like the Current Population Survey (CPS). For example, the NLSY79 provides details on job offers rejected while searching, the desired characteristics of the job being sought, and whether the respondent searched while employed in another job. While every round of the NLSY79 contains questions on job search activities, researchers interested in this area should examine the 1982, 1986, and 1987 surveys, which contained special sections with a large number of job seeking questions. 

Who searches: The NLSY79 asks respondents in various surveys who are both working and not working if they are searching for work. To find most of the questions which determine if a respondent is seeking work, search for questions which contain the phrase "looking for work." This phrase captures all of the employed job search questions plus all non employed job searchers from 1979 to 1993. To capture not employed job seekers after 1993, use the phrase "done anything to find work." 

Methods of Job Search: Respondents are asked not only if they searched for work but are also asked the specific types of activities they used to find work. Coded activities usually include: checking with a State employment agency; checking with a private employment agency; contacting an employer directly; contacting friends or relatives; placing or answering an ad; and looking in a newspaper. Depending on the specific year and set of survey questions the list of coded activities is sometimes longer than those just mentioned and includes other job search activities like: using a school placement service; taking a civil service exam; contacting an organization such as CETA or the Urban league; checking with a labor union; or asking a teacher for job leads. In the 1986 and 1987 surveys, job seekers who were not employed were asked to tell interviewers the top three job-search methods they used. Respondents also ranked these job search methods, allowing researchers to know which method was tried the most.

In 1981, the NLSY79 questionnaire contained an extensive set of time use questions. The time use questions not only covered daily activities but asked roughly 3,300 respondents how long they spent using specific methods of finding work. The job seeking time use section, which begins at R05173., tracks the number of minutes over the last seven days the respondent used employment services, asked relatives about finding work, answered ads, and a variety of other specific techniques. Combining the results from all these questions results in the total number of minutes spent searching for work in the past week.

Duration of Job Search: Questions for both employed and not employed job seekers in the CPS portions of the questionnaire refer to job search activity over the past four weeks. Even though the questions are only asked to respondents who recently searched, the total amount of time spent searching could be much longer than four weeks. If a respondent states that they were seeking work, the NLSY79 questionnaire probes for how long the respondent has been looking for work. While the specific format changes depending on the survey year, researchers can convert all answers into the number of weeks spent searching. While the mean length is under 2 months for those employed and around 3 months for those respondents not employed, users are cautioned that a small but significant number of respondents have very long job searches, with durations around two years.

Why Was the Search Started and Stopped: The NLSY79 has extensive information on why respondents started searching and why they stopped. While the exact list of answers varies depending on the survey year, the questionnaires prior to 1994 includes a single question that asks job seekers who were not employed why they were searching for work. Job seekers could state they began a search because they lost their job, quit their previous job, left school, wanted to help the family with money, or a host of other reasons. The reasons were also asked in selected surveys to employed job seekers.

Beginning in 1994, there is no longer a single question that asks seekers who were not employed why they were looking. Instead, the single question is replaced by a sequence (see for example the 1994 sequence R45541.00 - R45543.00), which first asks the respondent's activities before starting their job search, followed by questions which ask respondents how their last job ended. While this sequence of questions does not completely replicate the single question set of answers, combing the information from the sequence provides a relatively close match.

Given that the NLSY79 is a longitudinal survey that tracks, month-by-month, the respondent's labor market status (see the work history section for details on this month-by-month tracking), it is relatively easy to see when a job seeker found a new position. However, not all job seekers find employment. The NLSY79 also contains some information on why people are no longer searching for work. For example, in the 1996 CPS section, selected respondents were asked why they were no longer looking for work. Responses included: chance for advancement improved in their current job, could not find a better job, pay increased at their current job, working condition improved at their current job, relocation plans changed, career plans changed, the respondent's financial situation improved, and a layoff ended.

Special Sections: The NLSY79 has periodically added a number of special job search sections to the questionnaire. In the 1982 survey a section entitled "job finding" was added. This section asked very detailed questions about how the respondents found their current primary job. The section contains the standard high level questions such as: what was the main reason you were looking for work and what methods did you use to find work? 

Beyond these standard questions, the section contains unique job search questions. Respondents are asked to specify exactly how many employers they directly applied to for work; how far they traveled to look for work; and if they moved to take the new job. Additionally, respondents were asked if any specific person helped them to get a job. If a specific person did help them, that person's sex, relationship to the respondent, and degree of help are all quantified by the survey. While most of the job search questions are found under the "Job Search" area of interest, other questions, particularly those that track job search by unemployed respondents, are found in the Current Population Survey areas. These areas are labeled "CPS," "CPS 1994," "CPS 1996," and "CPS 1998."

In the 1986 and 1987 surveys the "gaps between jobs" section was expanded for the male portion of the cohort. For each gap between jobs, respondents were asked about all types of methods used to find work. Then, month-by-month within that gap, respondents were asked the specific search methods used during that shorter time period. Respondents who stated more than three methods were asked to list the three most frequently used. 

Finally, for each of the top three methods the respondent was asked how many job offers each method produced, the highest wage for each method, and if the offer was accepted. If the person rejected the job offer they were asked why. A partial list of reasons for rejection includes unsuitable working conditions, too many hours, better offer provided, and transportation difficulties.

The employer supplement sections in the 1994 to 2000 surveys contain a number of specific questions about how the respondent found the particular job on which the supplement focuses. Respondents are first asked if they were looking for work when they were offered the job. Then respondents who were looking for work were asked which job search method led to their being offered the job. Finally, respondents were asked if they turned down any other offers before accepting this job and how much those other offers paid.

Hypothetical Jobs: The NLSY79 from 1979 to 1982 included questions about hypothetical job offers. These questions can be found by looking for the word "hypothetical" in the Question Text search. The set of questions in 1979 asked the respondent would they work at $2.50 per hour, $3.50 per hour and $5.00 per hour washing dishes, doing factory work, work cleaning, checking out groceries in a supermarket, cleaning up the neighborhood, making hamburgers, and working in a national park. Additional questions from 1979 to 1982 asked how much money it would take for a person to switch employers if the job was in the same general field. If the person was interested in switching employers the survey asked how many days per week the respondent wanted to work and how many hours per day they would like to be employed at the hypothetical job.

These questions provide information about the respondent's reservation wage, or the minimum pay needed to cause the individual to either switch jobs or join the labor force. Combining this with general labor market indicators found on the NLSY79 data set, such as the local area unemployment rate, enables researchers to understand how the local labor market conditions affect an individual's work force decisions.

Comparison to Other NLS Cohorts: CPS questions are regularly asked of respondents in each cohort regarding job search. Generally, the questions concern the active and passive methods of job search used and the total number of weeks spent actively looking for work. 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.

Three sets of job satisfaction measures have been collected for employed respondents during select survey years. In addition, a job satisfaction index can be created using items collected during the 1979-82 and 1988 surveys.

1. Global Job Satisfaction 1979-2018: During each survey year, respondents employed since the last interview are asked to rate, on a four-point scale from "like it very much" to "dislike it very much," how they feel about their current/most recent (CPS) job. This question provides a general or 'global' indication of a respondent's current job satisfaction. In 1994-2018, this question was asked about each job.
2. Satisfaction with Government Jobs Program: Respondents who were working at a job in conjunction with their participation in a Federally funded employment and training program were asked, during the 1979-87 survey years, how satisfied/dissatisfied they were with their entire experience in the jobs program.
3. Facet-Specific Job Satisfaction Scale: During the 1979-82 and 1988 surveys, wage and salaried workers, as well as those self-employed in incorporated businesses, were presented with a series of descriptive statements about the pay, working conditions, promotion opportunities, supervisors, coworkers, and so forth at their current job and were asked to rate each statement on a scale from "very true" to "not at all true."

Constructing a Job Satisfaction Index 

A job satisfaction index can be constructed for the 1979-82 and 1988 survey years by coupling six of the facet-specific job satisfaction ratings listed above with the global job satisfaction measure and a question that asked respondents whether, given the freedom to make such a choice, they would take another job or keep the job they had at the survey point. This scale, a shortened form of the job satisfaction scales of the University of Michigan's Quality of Employment Surveys, developed by Quinn (1973), provides a reliable indicator of job satisfaction. 

To construct the full seven-item scale, raw scores for each item listed in Table 1 should be converted to z scores for each respondent. The scores can be multiplied by 100 to remove decimals and combined to obtain an unweighted average of the seven z scores. The resulting scores for the satisfaction index are either positive or negative numbers that can be interpreted as deviations from the mean for the total sample of survey respondents.

Table 1. NLSY79 Variables Needed to Construct the Job Satisfaction Index

Comparison to Other NLS Cohorts: Job satisfaction information was collected from the NLSY79 young adults in each survey year. In each NLSY97 survey, job satisfaction information was collected for each job (for example, like it very much, think it is okay). During most survey years, Older and Young Men respondents described how they felt about either their current job or their current/last job. During the 1978 and 1981 surveys of Young Men, employed respondents were also asked a series of detailed questions relating to specific aspects of their jobs. 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.

References

Quinn, R.B. and Mangione, T.W. "Jobsat '72 and its Kinfolk--a Brief Manual." In The 1969-1970 Survey of Working Conditions: Chronicles of an Unfinished Enterprise. Ann Arbor, MI: Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 1973.

These variables 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. 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 compose the shortened JDI scale are listed in Table 1.

Table 1. Variables Needed to Construct the Job Characteristics Index: NLSY79

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.

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

Two sets of variables are available for each survey year 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. These verbatims are then coded into various versions of the Census Bureau's industrial classification system. The Census system consists of 14 industry groups, representing more than 19,000 industries.

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.

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 1979 and from 1993 on) 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.

References

McClaskie, Stephen L. "NLSY79 Industry Codes." Internal Memo. Columbus, OH: CHRR, The Ohio State University, 1988.

U.S. Census Bureau. 1970 Census of Population Alphabetical Index of Industries and Occupations. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1971.

U.S. Census Bureau. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) [standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy]. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/naics/ 2007.

United States Bureau of the Census. 1980 Census of Population: Alphabetic Index of Industries and Occupations. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1981.

Availability of fringe benefits has been collected during each survey year except 1981. Respondents report on benefits received, including hospital and life insurance, paid vacation and sick days, dental benefits, maternity/paternity leave, retirement plans, profit sharing, training, childcare, and flexible work schedule hours. Questions on the availability of stock options were added in 2010. This information is taken from the Employer Supplement questions; additional information is available in the CPS section. Further information on work-related benefits can be found in the Pension Benefits & Pension Plans section of this guide.

Comparison to Other NLS Cohorts: Data have been collected during each NLSY79 young adult survey on the availability of benefits provided by employers. Questions on benefits for the NLSY97 cohort are only asked of respondents who report an employee job lasting at least 13 weeks that ended after the date of their 16th birthday, or who are age 16 and over and report an on-going employee job at which they have worked at least 13 weeks. Information on benefits was collected for the Mature Women in 1977, 1982, 1987, 1989, and 1995-2003; for the Young Women in 1978 and 1983-2003; and for the Young Men in 1976 and 1981. The exact categories of benefits for which information was recorded may vary; generally, less information was collected in earlier years. 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.

Three sets of employment-related discrimination questions have been asked of NLSY79 respondents during select survey years. 

The first set, included in the 1979 and 1982 surveys, questioned working-age (that is, age 16 and over) respondents on whether they believed that specific types of discrimination (race, nationality, sex, and age) had caused them problems in getting a good job. 

The second set of discrimination questions asked those NLSY79 respondents who had served or were serving in the military at the 1980-85 interview dates whether race, sex, or rank discrimination was one of the reasons the respondent had left the military or would choose not to reenlist. Small numbers of respondents reported these types of discrimination as a reason for leaving or not reenlisting in the military. 

The third set, found in the 2018 survey, asked about age discrimination in the workplace. It consisted of two questions: one about whether younger workers at their workplace were given preference for promotions and the other about any pressure to retire early.

Of related interest are:

• a question asked in the 1990 survey year that allows "discrimination" as a possible reason that a respondent feels no (further) promotions are possible with a given employer
• a series of questions fielded in 1980 that asked respondents about the demographic composition of coworkers
• questions in 1996 and 1998 about the sex of employees/coworkers supervised. "Training" section asked respondents if they received any equal opportunity or diversity sensitivity training.

Comparison to Other NLS Cohorts: Questions concerning work-related discrimination were fielded during various years for the Young and Mature Women and Young and Older Men. The NLSY79 Young Adult 2012-2018 datasets include a series of questions about being unfairly treated at work, in education, and in everyday situations. 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.