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NLSM -Older and Young Men

Job Characteristics (Young Men cohort)

The variables discussed in this section are limited to the special 1978 data collection for the Young Men cohort. This survey included a series of questions on characteristics of the respondents' current job, e.g., the amount of variety, autonomy, opportunity to deal with people or develop friendships or complete tasks, as well as the amount of significance they attributed to their job and the amount of performance feedback received. Items for this scale, the Job Characteristics Index (JCI), was developed by Sims, Szilagyi, and Keller and is an extension of the work first begun by Turner and Lawrence in 1965. The JCI was preceded by an instrument developed by Hackman and Oldham known as the Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS), dimensions of which are also incorporated in the JCI, although in a simpler format. Comparisons of the JCI and JDS by Dunham et al. have shown that both scales tend to collapse to a one-dimensional scale measuring job-complexity. Therefore, the JCI was shortened by selecting one scale item that loaded strongly on each of the dimensions of job complexity shown to be important in earlier research. In their 1976 article, Sims et al. reported the necessary factor analysis scores used to obtain the abbreviated scale.

References

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

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

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

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

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

Turner, A.N. and Lawrence, P.R. Industrial Jobs and the Workers: An Investigation of Responses to Task Attributes. Boston: Harvard University Press, 1965.

Survey Instruments

Question and reference numbers for the seven items that comprise the shortened JCI scale are as follows:

  • R05542.-R05548. (Questions 12A-12G)
  • R05570.-R05575. (Questions 16A-16F)

These questions are found within the "Current Labor Force Status or CPS" section of the Young Men questionnaire.

Wages

Older Men cohort

This section overviews the rate of pay information that has been collected for one or more jobs held by the Older Men respondents since the last interview, e.g., the current or last job, a second or dual job, or various intervening jobs. Related variables, not discussed here, include whether and under what conditions extra pay was received, how such overtime work was compensated, whether wages were set by a collective bargaining agreement, the hours or shift usually worked, and the respondent's preference for working different hours for different pay. Data are also available for most survey years of each cohort on reservation wages (the minimum wage required to accept a job by those not in the labor force) and on rates of pay associated with hypothetical job offers.

Rate of pay

All surveys of this cohort except those conducted in 1968, 1973, and 1975 collected information on the amount of money that respondents employed in the private or governmental sectors usually earned at their current or last job. The open-ended question, "How much do you usually earn at this job before deductions?" typically elicited an hourly dollar and cents amount or a dollar amount only plus a time unit, e.g., week, month, year, etc., to which the wage applied. From this information coupled with that on usual hours worked per week, CHRR calculated a set of variables entitled 'Hourly Rate of Pay at Current or Last Job *KEY*.' Excluded from the universe of these variables are those respondents reporting time units of day, piece work, or other, as well as those who were self-employed or working without pay in a family business or farm. During the 1971, 1976, 1981, and 1990 surveys, rate of pay information was also collected about jobs other than the current/last job--for example, the job held for the longest time in the past 12 months or the job held longest in the past five years.

Hypothetical job offers

In every survey except 1968, 1973, and 1975, respondents were asked about their reactions to hypothetical job offers. Most frequently, these questions were set in the context of a job offer in the same geographical area in which the respondent currently lived, but occasionally the questions referred to a different geographical area. The hypothetical job offer series was asked separately for different groups of respondents depending on their current labor force status (e.g., employed, unemployed, or out of the labor force). Component questions in this series asked about the rate of pay required to accept the job offer, hours per week the respondent would be willing to work on the job (beginning in 1971), and the occupation required to accept the position. Users should consult the questionnaires for minor variations in text wording or universes. Researchers can find these questions in NLS Investigator by searching under the word "Hypothetical."

Young Men cohort

This section overviews the rate of pay information that has been collected for one or more jobs held by the Young Men respondents since the last interview, e.g., the current or last job, a second or dual job, or various intervening jobs. Related variables, not discussed here, include whether and under what conditions extra pay was received, how such overtime work was compensated, whether wages were set by a collective bargaining agreement, the hours or shift usually worked, and the respondent's preference for working different hours for different pay. Data are also available for most survey years of each cohort on reservation wages (the minimum wage required to accept a job by those not in the labor force) and on rates of pay associated with hypothetical job offers.

Rate of pay

Information on the usual earnings of respondents working in the private and government sectors was collected during each survey year. A series of 'Hourly Rate of Pay for Current or Last Job *KEY*' variables has been created for each survey year except 1973 and 1975. Universe restrictions are similar to those described for the Older Men. Rate of pay information is also available for intervening jobs reported during the 1970, 1971, 1976, and 1981 surveys and for a second (or dual) job in which a respondent was employed at the time of the 1971, 1976, and 1981 interviews.

Important information: Rate of pay variables

Derivations for select hourly rate of pay variables contained statements that set to "NA" values above and below designated extreme values. This truncation was not consistently applied either across cohorts or across the survey years of a given cohort. For example, school enrollment status--in addition to extreme pay values--was factored into the creation of the 1966 Young Men *KEY* variable. Derivations for certain created rate of pay variables do not appear within the public codebook or Codebook Supplement; users needing this information should contact NLS User Services.

Hypothetical job offers

Young Men were administered the same series of hypothetical job offer questions as Older Men. These questions were included in all surveys except 1973 and 1975.

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics. Work & Family: Changes in Wages and Benefits Among Young Adults. Report No. 849. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, July 1993.

Parsons, Donald O. "Summary Tables: The National Longitudinal Surveys of Older Males 1966-1983." Columbus, OH: CHRR, The Ohio State University, 1987.

Parsons, Donald O. "Summary Tables: The National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Males 1966-1981." Columbus, OH: CHRR, The Ohio State University, 1987.

Survey Instruments & Documentation Rate of pay information was collected in the "Current Labor Force Status," "Current Labor Force Status and Work History," "Work Experience and Attitudes," "Employment," "Work Attitudes," or "Retrospective Work History" sections of each cohort's questionnaires. Derivations for most created hourly rate of pay variables are presented within the cohort-specific codebooks.

Fringe Benefits (Young Men cohort)

This section reviews the fringe benefit data collected for Young Men respondents. Additional information on other work-related benefits can be found in the Pensions, Social Security & Retirement section.

Data on the availability of fringe benefits provided by employers of respondents were collected in 1976 and 1981. Fringe benefits such as: (1) medical/surgical/hospital/dental/vision insurance; (2) life insurance; (3) a retirement pension program; (4) paid sick leave; (5) paid vacation; (6) training/educational opportunities; (7) profit sharing; (8) stock options; and (9) free/discounted meals or merchandise were included in both interviews. In addition, the 1981 survey asked about the availability of flexible work hours. Table 1 summarizes by survey year the numbers of employed respondents reporting the availability of each type of fringe benefit.

Table 1. Numbers of Employed YM Respondents Reporting the Availability of Various Types of Fringe Benefits at their Current Job
  1976 1981
Reporting Availability
One or More Benefits 2741 2637
No Benefits 262 156
Type of Benefit
Medical/Surgical/Hospital/Dental/Vision Insurance 2380 2410
Life Insurance 1932 2024
Retirement Pension Program 1861 1864
Training/Education Opportunities 1362 1484
Profit Sharing 618 654
Stock Options 552 620
Free or Discounted Meals 372 338
Free or Discounted Merchandise 709 605
Paid Sick Leave 2002 1975
Paid Vacation Leave 2440 2324
Flexible Work Hours -- 926
     
Universe: Those respondents who were working at the current survey date within a private company or as a government worker. Table is based on R04561. and R06935.

User note about the fringe benefits universe

The universe for the fringe benefit series is restricted to those respondents who have worked since the last interview and who were employed in a private business or as a government worker. The 1981 Young Men data include five respondents who are coded as both with and without benefits; their case ID#s are 601, 1788, 3119, 3206, and 4239.

Multiple entry "mark all that apply" questions typically found in the fringe benefit sections of the Original Cohort questionnaires were coded as geometric progressions during all but the most recent survey years. Program statements to unpack such variables are presented in Appendix C.

Reference

Bureau of Labor Statistics. Work & Family: Changes in Wages and Benefits Among Young Adults. Report No. 849. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, July 1993.

Related Variables Additional information on eligibility for and receipt of various kinds of retirement benefits and/or on coverage by medical insurance has been collected. Users interested in these sets of questions should refer to the "Income & Assets," "Health," or "Retirement" sections of each cohort's questionnaires.
Survey Instruments & Documentation The "Current Labor Force Status," "Current Labor Force Status and Work History," or "Employment" sections of the Young Men questionnaires.

Military

Older Men cohort

Active Service

The members of this cohort were asked in the 1967 and 1976 surveys whether they had ever served in the U.S. Armed Forces. If so, the dates of service were collected; these were specified by time periods in 1967 (e.g., World War II, Korean War, peacetime after January 1955) and by month and year in 1976.

Training

The original Older Men survey, conducted in 1966, asked the respondents about any vocational training programs they attended while in the Armed Forces. Follow-up questions determined whether the respondent completed the program, the type of training, the length of the program, and whether the respondent used this training at his current or last job.

Related Variables The military was also included in Older Men surveys as a source of disability payments, pension or retirement income, and medical care payments. For more details about disability and pension income, see the Pensions, Social Security & Retirement section. Medical care payments the military made to the respondent or his wife, including payments for care at a long-term facility, are discussed in the Health section.
Survey Instruments & Documentation These questions are found in the 1966 "Education and Training," 1967 "Family Background," and 1976 "Marital History and Other Background" questionnaire sections.

Young Men cohort

Because of the younger age of this cohort and the Vietnam War, considerable data were collected about respondents' military service. Armed Forces questions were included in all Young Men surveys except the 1973 and 1975 telephone surveys.

Active Service

In the 1966, 1969, 1971, 1976, and 1981 surveys, respondents who had ever served in the Armed Forces reported the branch they served in. These surveys asked how respondents entered the Armed Forces (e.g., drafted, enlisted as a regular) and how many months they spent on active duty. Respondents were also asked for the military occupation they had held for the longest time and whether they were an officer or an enlisted man at that time. The final Young Men survey in 1981 asked whether respondents were ever in combat during their service, as well as the duration of that combat.

Separation from active duty was also a focus of the military questions. The 1966, 1969, and 1971 questionnaires collected the respondent's age at the time of separation. The respondent's rank and the date the separation occurred were recorded in 1969, 1971, 1976, and 1981.

For those who had never served in the U.S. Armed Forces, the 1966 survey questioned whether they had ever tried to enter active military service. If so, a follow-up question asked for the reason they were not accepted (e.g., failed physical exam, failed written test). Similarly, the 1967-71 surveys recorded the current draft classification of each age-eligible respondent and, if applicable, the reason for their 1-Y or 4-F rejection.

Training

Details about training received in the military (other than basic training) were gathered in the 1966, 1969, 1971, 1976, and 1981 surveys. Respondents attending such programs reported whether they completed the program (in 1966, 1969, and 1971 only); the length of the program; and whether they used this training on their current or last job. In addition, the general training questions of the 1976, 1978, 1980, and 1981 surveys included the Armed Forces as a possible provider of a training course.

Benefits, disability, and income

The later Young Men surveys included questions concerning income received from disability or Veteran's benefits. The 1976 questionnaire asked whether the G.I. Bill was an important element in the respondent buying his first home; in 1978 and 1980, the G.I. Bill was included in a question about other income. More detailed military income questions were asked in 1976 and 1981. These included the type of G.I. or Veteran's benefits the respondent had ever used (e.g., housing, medical care, vocational training); if he had a disability or medical discharge; whether he had a disability rated as service-connected by the Veterans Administration; and the compensation rating for that disability. Additionally, the 1981 survey questioned whether the respondent or his wife/partner received income in the past 12 months from Veteran's compensation or pension as a result of a disability or illness.

Related Variables Several questions about education and work decisions for this cohort included participation in the military in the list of possible responses. Education questions included why respondents ended their education at a particular point (1966), the reason for changing their college attendance plans (1968-71), why they were not currently attending college (1968-71), and why they decided to get more training (1968 and 1969). Various surveys included participation in the Armed Forces or waiting to be called into military service as reasons for not looking for work or for not working. The first Young Men survey in 1966 asked the respondents what they would do if they were to permanently lose their present job tomorrow; one possible response was "enter the Armed Forces." The military was also connected to a respondent's work history by a question in 1971, 1976, and 1981 that asked whether the respondent's period of military service helped or hurt his career and the reason why.
Survey Instruments & Documentation Questions about the military in the Young Men's surveys can be found in the "Educational Status," "Current Labor Force Status," "Work Experience and Attitudes," "Family Background," and "Assets and Income" questionnaire sections.

Occupations and Occupational Prestige Indices

Data on the occupation that respondents were seeking or in which they were employed or received training were collected during most survey years of the Older and Young Men. Some surveys gathered information on the occupation of intervening and dual jobs.

In each survey, an open-ended question asked respondents "What kind of work (are/were) you doing?". Follow-up questions fielded during some survey years elicited more specific information on job duties and job title. Verbatim responses from the respondent were entered onto the questionnaire by the interviewer and then coded by Census personnel using the Census Bureau alphabetical index of occupations and industries. All occupation variables for the Older and Young Men regardless of survey year are coded with three-digit 1960 Census codes. Additionally, the 1983 and 1990 interviews of Older Men double coded occupation of current or last job using both the 1960 and three-digit 1980 classifications.

A series of edited variables are available for respondents in the Older and Young Men cohorts that provide a three-digit and one-digit occupational code for the current or last job ever reported by the respondent. These variables can be differentiated from the direct pick-up 'Occupation of Current or Last Job' variables by the absence of a question number in the source field. The Industries section provides more information on the editing and creation procedures used for certain occupation variables.

Variable titles for occupations listed within the various NLS documentation items do not always specify the Census coding system utilized. In such cases, users should assume that the 1960 classification was applied.

In the questionnaires and Census versions of the data files provided to CHRR, the responses to some employment-related questions were coded in such a way as to require reference to the response to another question. For example, in the Older Men survey, the occupation of longest job was coded "same as current job" if the respondent's job at the 1966 survey date was the longest job he had held between leaving school and the 1966 survey. Otherwise, the actual three-digit occupation code was coded. In the CHRR data files, no such cross-referencing is required. In the above illustration, "occupation of longest job" is given the three-digit code of "current job" in those instances where current and longest job are the same. Relevant notations are present within each cohort's codebook.

Within the Older and Young Men cohorts, "job" changes are tracked with ambiguity as to whether this would be an occupation change, employer change or both.

Duncan Index

All three-digit 1960 Census occupational categories have been assigned a two-digit ordinal prestige score based upon the education and income distributions of the occupation. The scores, ranging from 0 to 97, may be interpreted either as estimates of prestige ratings or simply as values on a scale of occupational socioeconomic status (Duncan 1961). A series of created variables provide the Duncan Index score for the current or last job ever reported by the respondent. The universe for these variables is all respondents interviewed in a given survey year for whom occupational data have been collected.

GED and SVP scores

The 1966-71 surveys of the Young Men include created variables providing two special occupational scores for current or desired occupations: a General Education Development (GED) score and a Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) score (Department of Labor 1965, Appendix B). The GED score is a representation of the amount of general education or life experience needed to perform a given job. The score represents three factors: reasoning development, mathematical development, and language development; each of these factors is divided into six levels, with one representing the least amount of education and six the most. The first number in the 3-digit GED score represents the level of reasoning required for the job, the second number is the level of mathematical achievement, and the last number indicates language requirements.

The SVP score considers the opposite proposition: that some amount of time is required to learn to perform a specific occupation at an average level of competence. This single-digit score ranges from 1 to 9, with 1 meaning that the job only requires a short demonstration, 2 indicating that the job requires up to 30 days of training and experience, and so on up to 9, which means that the job requires more than 10 years of specific learning and experience before it can be performed at an acceptable level.

Job family and job level

The 1966-71 Young Men interviews also provided classifications for the respondents' current or desired occupations according to job family and job level (Scoville, 1969). Using the first three digits of the Census Bureau occupational codes, the job family variables assign each job to one of 18 occupational clusters (e.g, machines and equipment--specialized, inspection, farming, clerical, research and design, etc.). Based on the GED and SVP scores and the average earnings for each occupation in 1960, the job level variables provide information about the comparative levels of skills, training, and abilities required for different jobs. Each job is classified in levels I-V, with class 'I' jobs requiring the greatest amount of skill and knowledge and class 'V' jobs the least.

Background information on the development of the 1960 and 1980 classification systems and the relationships between the 1960 and 1970 coding categories and between the 1970 and 1980 codes is available within various Census publications (Census 1972, 1989).

References

Census Bureau. 1960 Census of Population Alphabetical Index of Occupations and Industries (Revised Edition). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1960.

Census Bureau. "1970 Occupation and Industry Classification Systems in Terms of Their 1960 Occupation and Industry Elements." Technical Paper 26. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1972.

Census Bureau. 1980 Census of Population Classified Index of Industries and Occupations. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1980.

Census Bureau. "The Relationship Between the 1970 and 1980 Industry and Occupation Classification Systems." Technical Paper 59. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1989.

Census Bureau. U.S. Census of Population: 1960. Subject Reports. Occupational Characteristics. Final Report PC (2)-7A. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1960.

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.

Scoville, James G. The Job Content of the U.S. Economy 1940-1970. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1969.

U.S. Department of Labor. Dictionary of Occupational Titles, Third Edition. Volume II: Occupational Classification and Industry Index. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1965.

Survey Instruments & Documentation Questions on occupations are found within the "Current Labor Force Status," "Work History," and "Retirement and Pension" sections of the questionnaires; occupation of household members has been collected as part of the "Family Background" or "Household Members" sections. Attachment 2 in each cohort's Codebook Supplement provides the 1960 & 1980 (Older Men only) Census of Population industry and occupational classification codes and the accompanying Duncan Index scores. Appendix 19 in the Young Men Codebook Supplement lists the GED, SVP, job level, and job family codes for each 1960 occupation code.

Industries

Older Men cohort

This section overviews the raw and created industry variables available for the Older Men cohort. Open-ended questions, e.g., "What kind of business or industry is/was this?", were included within various sections of the questionnaires during each interview. Verbatim responses to this question were coded by Census personnel using three-digit codes from the 1960, and for select variables, the 1980 classification systems (Census 1960, 1980). (See Attachment 2 in the Older Men Codebook Supplement). Two- and one-digit edited versions of these raw variables are available for most survey years. An extensive discussion of Census/CHRR editing and creation procedures that affect the industry variables can be found in the important information note at the bottom of this page.

Data were collected during each survey year on the industry of a respondent's current or last job. The 1967-69, 1976, and 1981 interviews also gathered information on the industry of the longest intervening job held between yearly survey dates or during the past 12 months. The 1971 questionnaire included a detailed work history section that allowed collection of industry information on up to seven intervening jobs. Retrospectives in 1976, 1981, and 1990 collected industry information for the longest job held between 1971 and 1976, 1976 and 1981, and 1983 and 1990. The 1973-76, and 1981 surveys elicited information from those respondents who were unemployed at both the current and previous interviews on the industry of any job held between survey dates. During certain interview years, questions about the industry of a second or dual job, a hypothetical job or business, or a retirement job were fielded. The 1981 and 1990 surveys included questions on the longest job held by the respondent's wife between 1976 and 1981 or by the respondent's widow between 1983 and 1990. Information was collected during the 1990 interviews from the widows of deceased respondents on the industry of the last job held by the respondent.

Edited variables from the Occupation & Industry (O & I) Rewrite are present for each survey year that provide one-, two-, or three-digit versions of the raw current/last job variables. The 1960 Census codes were used exclusively up through the 1981 interview to code industry information; beginning in 1983, the current/last job variables were doublecoded with the 1960 and 1980 classification systems. Several versions of the current/last job variables, e.g., edited and unedited, collapsed and noncollapsed, are also available. See the important information note below for additional information.

Table OM1. Industry of Current/Last Job by Type of Interview and Sample Persons' Labor Force Status: 1990 Older Men
Industrial Sector Total Sample Person Interview Widow/Proxy Interview
Working Not Working
Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries 448 64 132 230
Mining 49 2 22 22
Construction 448 18 176 232
Manufacturing 1073 26 430 579
Transportation, Communication, Public Utilities 372 13 147 197
Wholesale/Retail Trade 552 42 214 275
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate 208 30 80 92
Business & Repair Services 175 19 68 78
Personal Services 118 15 36 64
Entertainment & Recreation Services 52 7 18 27
Professional & Related Services 382 40 141 180
Public Administration 255 14 116 109
Subtotal 4132 290 1580 2085
Missing 166 1 38 121
Total 42981 291 1618 22062
1 This number reflects the total number of interviews conducted during 1990. Excluded from this table is industry information on 722 respondents for whom neither a respondent nor widow/proxy interview was conducted in 1990. Frequencies in the "Total" column do not equal the sum of the respondent and widow/proxy interview numbers due to the exclusion of 183 interviewed sample persons who do not have valid values on 'Employment Status Recode,' the variable used to determine labor force status.
2 For the 2206 respondents whose widow or proxy was interviewed during 1990, the industry code reflects the one provided by the respondent during a previous interview. Information collected during 1990 from a widow/proxy on the industry of the respondent's last job is available for only a small number of respondents; values are not included in this table.
Table OM2. Industrial Sector of Employed Respondents' Current Job by Number of Survey Years with an Industry: NLS of Older Men 1966-83
Industrial Sector Total Ever Employed Years with Industry
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries 675 82 73 60 62 42 41 31 36 29 28 38 153
Mining 91 23 11 7 4 7 2 6 7 5 3 2 14
Construction 839 169 124 68 71 42 51 48 34 26 41 55 110
Manufacturing 1780 232 141 133 124 117 125 99 102 77 95 130 405
Trans., Comm., Public Utilities 668 106 80 54 43 46 40 37 33 34 22 52 121
Wholesale & Retail Trade 1117 233 154 96 93 69 70 69 47 52 49 50 135
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate 307 65 32 30 17 24 20 23 13 12 13 12 46
Business & Repair Services 374 119 60 46 35 20 21 15 9 9 7 15 18
Personal Services 236 64 42 21 11 20 18 13 7 10 6 4 20
Entertainment & Recreation Services 94 36 15 8 6 7 6 4 4 0 2 3 3
Professional & Related Services 605 108 62 44 54 43 34 34 27 23 28 34 114
Public Administration 535 92 56 41 46 25 40 39 24 33 28 25 86
Universe: Respondents who were working or with a job but not at work for whom information on the industry of current employer was available. Industries were coded with the 1960 Census classification system.
Survey Instruments & Documentation Questions on industry are found in the regularly fielded "Current Labor Force Status," "Work Experience," Work History," and/or "Retrospective Work History" and the special 1966 "Attitudes Towards Work" and 1971 "Plans for the Future" sections of the Older Men questionnaires. Additional industry information was collected using the "Widow's Work Experience" and "Information on Deceased Sample Persons" sections of the 1990 widow's questionnaire. Part One and Appendix H of Attachment 2: 1960 & 1980 Census of Population Industrial & Occupational Codes provide listings by industry of the relevant one-, two-, and three-digit codes. Appendix 31 presents a partial derivation for the 1990 collapsed industry variables. Derivations for the collapsed variables from previous years can be found in the documentation for the class of worker variables. Attachments and appendixes are found in the Codebook Supplement.

Young Men cohort

This section overviews the raw and created industry variables available for the Young Men cohorts. Open-ended questions, e.g., "What kind of business or industry is/was this?", were included within various sections of the questionnaires during each interview. Verbatim responses to this question were coded by Census personnel using three-digit codes from the 1960, and for select variables, the 1980 classification systems (Census 1960, 1980). (See Attachment 2 in the Young Men Codebook Supplement). Two- and one-digit edited versions of these raw variables are available for each cohort for most survey years. An extensive discussion of Census/CHRR editing and creation procedures that affect the industry variables can be found in the important information note at the bottom of this page.

Information with which to code the industry of the respondent's current job or current or last job was collected during each survey year. In addition, all surveys except the 1966, 1978, and 1980 gathered information on either the industry of intervening jobs, the longest intervening job, or the last job held. Five year retrospectives fielded in 1976 and 1981 collected data on the industry of the longest job held during the 1971-76 and 1976-81 periods. Industrial specification of a second or dual job was gathered in 1971, 1976, and 1981. Related questions fielded during individual survey years included: (1) in 1966, the industry of the job held a year ago, of the job held during the last full year of high school, of the first job held for one month or more after the respondent stopped attending school full-time, and of a (hypothetical) job or own business that the respondent would start should he lose his current job; and (2) in 1971 and 1976, the industry of an alternative job that those respondents who reported job-shopping while remaining employed with the same firm indicated that they could have had and/or had been offered. Edited variables from the Occupation & Industry (O & I) Rewrite are present for each survey year that provide one-, two-, and three-digit versions of many of these raw variables. The 1960 Census classification system is used exclusively to code industry information for this cohort. See the important information note for additional information. Finally, a variable entitled 'Industrial Diversification Score for Labor Market of Current Residence' was constructed for the 1966-70 survey years that provides an index of the degree to which the industrial composition of the respondent's local area resembles that of the national economy.

Table YM1. Industrial Sector of Civilian Respondents' Current/Last Job by Survey Year: Young Men 1966-81
Industrial Sector Survey Year
66 67 68 69 70 71 73 75 76 78 80 81
All Respondents 4574 4415 4167 3893 3878 3935 3968 3949 3643 3493 3402 3296
Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries 571 481 340 243 213 214 178 163 154 146 153 158
Mining 22 22 29 33 40 35 46 73 55 56 64 64
Construction 380 363 405 401 400 422 478 446 412 359 367 347
Manufacturing 1140 1092 1132 1185 1167 1129 1218 1168 1052 1005 959 898
Transportation, Communications, & Public Utilities 190 209 249 246 258 280 304 327 292 287 311 300
Wholesale & Retail Trade 1130 1080 993 854 757 790 671 627 590 562 469 482
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate 79 85 87 89 121 139 152 158 152 150 148 148
Business & Repair Services 178 143 137 133 142 130 156 148 159 137 177 175
Personal Services 240 200 117 77 81 74 66 56 47 39 44 40
Entertainment & Recreation Services 131 124 91 60 55 47 47 42 39 37 28 35
Professional & Related Services 382 463 437 421 487 490 445 481 456 460 442 425
Public Administration 131 153 150 151 157 185 207 260 240 255 240 224
Universe: Respondents both working and not working during the survey week for whom an industry code from the 1960 Census classification system for their current or last job was available.
Table YM2. Industrial Sector of Civilian Employed Respondents' Current Job by Number of Survey Years with an Industry: Young Men 1966-81
Industrial Sector Total Ever Employed Years with Industry
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries 913 341 199 118 57 35 34 23 23 21 13 19 30
Mining 182 80 28 19 15 11 8 7 6 2 3 0 3
Construction 1558 653 296 159 100 87 66 41 51 29 37 15 24
Manufacturing 3077 796 511 342 270 225 199 155 147 117 110 88 117
Transportation, Communications, & Public Utilities 1062 443 195 125 58 59 54 31 23 25 17 17 15
Wholesale & Retail Trade 2729 906 577 366 244 177 123 83 64 63 54 36 36
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate 499 216 91 44 26 31 30 22 13 10 9 3 4
Business & Repair Services 860 489 156 82 51 33 16 13 7 3 3 3 4
Personal Services 552 342 128 38 11 3 10 3 9 2 1 3 2
Entertainment & Recreation Services 384 230 87 29 13 11 5 3 1 4 0 1 0
Professional & Related Services 1472 485 263 177 124 96 67 54 63 45 35 31 32
Public Administration 710 274 122 69 55 50 53 21 16 15 9 10 16
Universe: Respondents whose activity most of the survey week was working or with a job but not at work who reported information on their employer from which an industry code from the 1960 Census classification was assigned. Excluded are industry codes for jobs reported in the separate series of questions about jobs held during high school and the first job held after high school.

Important information: Occupation and industry variables

Substantive differences exist between a number of similarly titled occupation, industry, and class of worker variables present in the data files. One set of raw variables relating to the respondent's current job is derived from responses to questions found within the "CPS" section of each questionnaire. Additional versions of this set of variables are created using the two different procedures described below.

  1. An Occupation & Industry (O & I) Rewrite creates a set of seven "backfilled" or summary variables that enable researchers to identify the last occupation, industry, or class of worker status of all respondents who were interviewed in a given year whether or not they were currently working. Values utilized are those from the job in which the respondent was employed the week before the interview or "backfilled" values from the job that was current at the last time the respondent reported employment. Although the industry associated with an intervening job might technically be a respondent's most recent industry affiliation, the O & I program is not designed to pick up information from such jobs. All O & I variables are classified utilizing the 1960 Census codes. Titles for this set of O & I Rewrite variables appear below.

    Occupation & Industry variables from the O & I rewrite
    Variable Title Version Question #
    Class of Worker at Current or Last Job Collapsed [Always Blank--Created Variables]
    Occupation of Current or Last Job 3-digit
    Occupation of Current or Last Job Duncan Index
    Occupation of Current or Last Job 1-digit
    Industry of Current or Last Job 3-digit
    Industry of Current or Last Job 2-digit
    Industry of Current or Last Job 1-digit

    O & I Rewrite variables can be differentiated from non-backfilled variables by (1) the absence of a question number in the documentation that identifies the source of the variable; or (2) an assignment of a reference number that places an O & I variable among the created variables series appearing at the end of a given survey year's variables. In order to assist researchers identify these variables, an attempt has been made to append the word "collapsed" to the end of the O & I variable titles of select cohorts. This convention has been applied as follows: (1) all O & I 'Class of Worker' variables in all four cohorts for all survey years have the word "collapsed" appended to the variable titles and (2) the O & I occupation and industry variables from the 1990 Older Men surveys are identified with the word "collapsed." O & I Rewrite variables for the Young Men can only be identified using the question/reference number assignment conventions discussed above. Users unfamiliar with NLS assignment conventions should refer to chapter 3 of this guide.

    It is not clear why the O & I Rewrite variable titles are identical to those of the occupation/industry/class of worker variables. It may have been that these O & I rewrite variables were originally private variables intended only for use by in-house CHRR researchers and subsequently released to the public.

  2. An editing procedure begun by Census in the 1980s cleans items from the "CPS" section of the questionnaire in order to create the 'Employment Status Recode' variables. The ESR variables were originally generated by Census with no cleaning or editing of the items from the "Current Labor Force Status - CPS" sections of the questionnaire. In the mid-1980s, reoccuring problems with the program that created ESR forced Census to create edited "CPS" items. Both unedited and edited versions of these items are sent to CHRR and released to the public. Edited variables are identifed with either the word "EDITED" or the abbreviations "EDT" or "E" appended to the variable title. Edited versions of these variables will have fewer cases than the unedited versions. When looking at patterns over time, users may wish to use the set of unedited versions.

References

Blackburn, McKinley L. and Neumark, David. "Unobserved Ability, Efficiency Wages, and Interindustry Wage Differentials." Quarterly Journal of Economics 107,4 (November 1992): 1421-36.

D'Amico, Ronald. "Career Paths and Career Origins: The Effect of First Job Industry on the Attainments of Mature Men." Columbus, OH: CHRR, The Ohio State University, 1981.

D'Amico, Ronald. "A Quantitative Procedure for the Assignment of Industries to Capital Sector Types." Columbus, OH: CHRR, The Ohio State University, 1981.

D'Amico, Ronald and Daymont, Thomas. "Industrial Organization, Economic Conditions, and the Labor Market Success of Young Men." In: Market Defenses: Early Work Decisions of Today's Middle-Aged Men, S.M. Hills, ed. Columbus, OH: CHRR, The Ohio State University, 1983.

Jacobs, Jerry A. "Industrial Sector and Career Mobility Reconsidered." American Sociological Review 48,3 (June 1983): 415-21.

Shapiro, David and Hills, Stephen M. "Adjusting to Recession: Labor Market Dynamics in the Construction, Automobile, and Steel Industries." In: The Changing Labor Market: A Longitudinal Study of Young Men, S.M. Hills, ed. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1986.

U.S. Census Bureau. 1960 Census of Population Alphabetical Index of Occupations and Industries (Revised Edition). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1960.

U.S. Census Bureau. 1980 Census of Population Classified Index of Industries and Occupations. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1980.

Survey Instruments & Documentation The regularly fielded "Current Labor Force Status," "Work Experience & Attitudes," and "Retrospective Work History," and the special 1966 "Attitudes toward Work" sections of the Young Men questionnaires contain questions on industry. Part One and appendix H of Attachment 2: 1960 & 1980 Census of Population Industrial & Occupational Codes (in the Codebook Supplement) provide one-, two-, and three-digit codes.

Labor Force Status

Both the Older Men's and Young Men's "Current Labor Force Status" sections collect information on the labor market activity in which respondents were engaged during most of last week. This series replicates 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 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 monthly publication Employment and Earnings, provide detailed information, classified by age, sex, race, and a variety of other characteristics, on the employment and unemployment experience of the U.S. population.

A series of variables are available, for both cohorts, on respondents' labor force status during the survey week. In addition to these respondent-specific variables discussed below, data are available on the work experiences of other family and household members.

Survey Week Labor Force Status

The following three sets of variables are available on each respondent's labor force status during the survey week:

  1. Activity Most of Survey Week

    The 'Activity Most of Survey Week' variables reflect each 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. Although coding categories differ by cohort, the following categories of responses have been used to classify data within each cohort: (a) working, (b) with a job--not at work, (c) looking for work, (d) going to school, (e) unable to work, and (f) other. An additional coding category, "retired," is present for all survey years of the Older Men; "keeping house" was added as a coding category for the 1990 Older Men survey.

    Definitions for each of these labor market activities are intended to be consistent with those utilized in the CPS. Charts found earlier in this section provide definitions of key CPS labor force concepts; Census interviewers are instructed to use their CPS manual for assistance in coding the current labor force status questions. Due to the fact that Census is responsible for CPS data collection, it is likely that NLS CPS questions are interpreted in a consistent manner.

    The main survey week activity question is followed by a second question that seeks to identify those respondents who did any work at all last week in addition to a main survey week non-working activity (such as "looking for work" or "going to school"); this follow-up question is asked of all respondents except those who indicate that they were working or were unable to work.

  2. Employment Status Recode (ESR)

    ESR is a variable created by the Census Bureau that recodes responses to various employment-related questions into a consistent and more accurate measure of each respondent's survey week labor force activity. A series of decision rules, depicted in Table 4.18.1 below, cluster information collected from ten questions dealing with, for example, main survey week activity, hours worked, whether/why absent from a job, job search activity, occupation, class of worker, etc. into positive or negative indicators of "working," "with a job but not at work," and "unemployed (looking for work)." In order to be assigned to one of these recodes, a respondent must display at least two positive and no negative indicators that he belongs to one of these groups; otherwise he is considered to belong to one of the "not in the labor force" categories. More detail on the decision pathways used to assign each recode and on exceptions to the general rules presented below can be found in "Standardized Employment Status Questions and Recodes" (Census 1977).

    ESR is available for all survey years except for the years in which telephone interviews were conducted. Information on creation inconsistencies can be found in the user note below as well as within each cohort's codebook.

  3. Labor Force Group variables

    Check items present in the questionnaires of the Older and Young Men provide a series of summary variables indicating the labor force group to which a respondent belonged, e.g., working, looking for work, unable to work, retired, or in the armed forces. Variables which compare current survey year's labor force group with that of the previous survey year and which link labor force group to other variables such as school enrollment, presence of children under age 18, marital or retirement status are available for select survey years and cohorts.

    Survey Instruments Questions on main survey week activity are located at the beginning of the "Current Labor Force Status" sections of each questionnaire. The labor force group variables appear as check items throughout the questionnaires.
    Documentation Each year's Interviewers' Reference Manual provides detailed instructions for interviewers on how to code this section of the questionnaire in a manner consistent with CPS. Decision rules that guide Census in its creation of the 'Employment Status Recode' variables can be found in "Attachment 5: Standardized Employment Status Questions and Recodes (Census 1977)" in the Codebook Supplements.
Table 1. Employment Status Recode Creation: Older and Young Men
Ten Employment-Related Questions Used to Create ESR/MLR
  • Major activity
  • Whether worked last week
  • Hours worked
  • Whether absent from job
  • Why absent from job
  • Whether looking for work
  • What doing to find work
  • Reason could not take job (availability for work)
  • Occupation
  • Class of worker
  ESR/MLR - 1 WORKING ESR/MLR - 2 WITH A JOB, 
NOT AT WORK
ESR/MLR - 3 UNEMPLOYED (LOOKING FOR WORK)
Positive indicators
  1. Working last week
  2. 15+ hours worked
  3. Class of worker entry other than "never worked"
  4. <>1-14 hours worked combined with class of worker entry other than "without pay"
  1. Absent from job or business
  2. Class of worker entry other than "without pay" or "never worked"
  3. Reason for absence from work other than "layoff" or "new job to begin in 30 days"
  1. Absent from job or business
  2. Reason for absence is "layoff" or "new job to begin in 30 days"
  3. Looking for work
  4. Any entry in class of worker (including "never worked" and "without pay") 
  5. Method of looking for work entered other than "nothing"
Negative indicators
  1. 1-14 hours worked combined with class of worker = "without pay"
  1. Reason for absence from work is "layoff" or "new job to begin in 30 days"
  2. Working last week
  3. Any hours worked
  4. Class of worker is "without pay"
  1. Method of looking for work is "nothing"
  2. Not available for work
  3. Reason for absence from work is "other" (not "layoff" or "new job to begin in 30 days") 
  4. Working last week
  5. Any hours worked
Source: Census Bureau. "Standardized Employment Status Questions and Recodes." Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce, April 1977. This document is distributed by CHRR as "Attachment 5: Employment Status Recodes" and is an important source of information on exceptions to the general indicators listed above.

Important information: Employment status recodes

The various codes that categorize activities for those respondents not in the labor force vary across survey years and cohort. Tables 2 and 3 present the coded values by survey year for the Older and Young Men ESR variables.

Table 2. Employment Status Recode Codes: Older Men
  1966 1967 1968 1969 1971 1976 1981 1990
Working 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
With a Job, Not at Work 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Unemployed 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
In School 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Retired 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
Unable to Work 6 6,71 6 6,71 6,71 6 6 6
Blank 7   7          
Other 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 8
Keeping House               7
Never Worked 0 0 0 0 0      
Noninterview (Blank All Years)              
                 
1 Two codes were used in these surveys to distinguish between years. For example, the 1967 "Unable to Work" code was separated into "6-Unable to work in 1967 only" and "7-Unable to work in 1966 and 1967."
Table 3. Employment Status Recode Codes: Young Men
  1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1976 1981
Working 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
With a Job, Not at Work 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Unemployed 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
In School 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Blank 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
Unable to Work 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
Blank 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
Other 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
Never Worked 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Noninterview (Blank All Years)              

Important information: Employment status

While the "Current Labor Force Status" sections of NLS questionnaires follow the wording and format of those asked in the CPS, users should be aware that NLS CPS sections include additional questions over and above those found in the CPS surveys.

ESR has been traditionally used by many researchers to restrict the sample of those respondents interviewed in a given survey year. Users should be aware that this procedure cannot be used with data from the 1990 Older Men cohort and should consult the codebook notation for ESR.

Researchers examining employment over time can construct a loose approximation of ESR by using positive responses to the following three questions: (1) Did you do any work at all last week? (2) Did you have a job or business from which you were temporarily absent? and (3) Have you been looking for work? A respondent, for example, who is coded "Other" on 'Activity Most of Survey Week' but has a job from which s/he was absent would be reclassified as "working."

Labor Force Status tables

The tables in the following section are organized as follows: Tables 4 and 5 depict the labor force status, as measured by 'Employment Status Recode' variables, across survey years for the Older Men sample as a whole and for respondents by race. Tables 6 and 7 provide similar information for the Young Men. Readers should note that these tables contain unweighted frequencies. They should only be used as an aid in describing raw frequency counts in these data and must not be used to make inferences about population data.

Table 4. Labor Force Status: Older Men civilian respondents 1966-90
Survey Year 1966 1967 1968 1969 1971 1976 1981 1990
Total Interviewed 5020 4744 4648 4381 4175 3487 2832 2092
In the Labor Force Total 4673 4377 4221 3942 3550 2148 1070 298
Employed 4595 4295 4131 3884 3469 2044 1032 291
Unemployed 78 82 90 58 81 104 38 7
Not in the Labor Force Total 347 367 427 439 625 1339 1762 1611
In School 0 1 0 2 2 0 0 0
Retired 42 28 89 62 186 915 1440 1469
Unable to Work 219 276 314 302 327 331 178 107
Other 81 60 24 72 109 93 144 31
Keeping House -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4
Never Worked 5 2 0 1 1 -- -- --
ESR not available -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 183
Not Interviewed 0 276 372 845 845 1533 2188 2928
Year Total 5020 5020 5020 5020 5020 5020 5020 5020
Table 5. Labor Force Status: Older Men civilian respondents by Race 1966-90
Survey Year 1966 1967 1968 1969 1971 1976 1981 1990
Non-Black Respondents
Total Interviewed 3600 3402 3338 3141 3016 2521 2077 1603
In the Labor Force Total 3394 3186 3080 2865 2613 1578 813 250
Employed 3348 3139 3035 2829 2570 1512 792 248
Unemployed 46 47 45 36 43 66 21 2
Not in the Labor Force Total 206 216 258 276 403 943 1264 1223
In School 0 1 0 2 2 0 0 0
Retired 31 24 66 48 138 703 1071 1139
Unable to Work 118 156 176 175 194 187 91 59
Other 55 34 16 51 69 53 102 22
Keeping House -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3
Never Worked 2 1 0 0 0 -- -- --
ESR not available -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 130
Not Interviewed 0 198 262 459 584 1079 1523 1997
Year Total 3600 3600 3600 3600 3600 3600 3600 3600
Black Respondents
Total Interviewed 1420 1342 1310 1240 1159 966 755 489
In the Labor Force Total 1279 1191 1141 1077 937 570 257 48
Employed 1247 1156 1096 1055 899 532 240 43
Unemployed 32 35 45 22 38 38 17 5
Not in the Labor Force Total 141 151 169 163 222 396 498 388
In School 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Retired 11 4 23 14 48 212 369 330
Unable to Work 101 120 138 127 133 144 87 48
Other 26 26 8 21 40 40 42 9
Keeping House -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1
Never Worked 3 1 0 1 1 -- -- --
ESR not available -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 53
Not Interviewed 0 78 110 180 261 454 665 931
Year Total 1420 1420 1420 1420 1420 1420 1420 1420
Table 6. Labor Force Status: Young Men civilian respondents 1966-81
Survey Year 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1976 1981
Total Interviewed 5225 4790 4318 4033 3993 3987 3695 3398
In the Labor Force Total 3620 3504 3380 3328 3441 3599 3525 3292
Employed 3221 3133 3138 3087 3176 3342 3345 3136
Unemployed 399 371 242 241 265 257 180 156
Not in the Labor Force Total 1605 1286 938 705 552 388 170 106
In School 997 994 751 527 383 253 67 21
Unable to Work 5 9 12 9 12 23 37 37
Other 71 81 109 143 1371 112 66 48
Never Worked 532 202 66 26 20 0 0 0
Not Interviewed 0 435 907 1192 1232 1238 1530 1827
Year Total 5225 5225 5225 5225 5225 5225 5225 5225
                 
1 Includes two respondents recoded from "Code 7" to "Code 8-Other."
Table 7. Labor Force Status: Young Men civilian respondents by Race 1966-81
Survey Year 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1976 1981
Non-Black Respondents
Total Interviewed 3787 3477 3155 2976 2962 2998 2848 2622
In the Labor Force Total 2595 2534 2452 2449 2535 2704 2728 2549
Employed 2363 2322 2318 2307 2379 2540 2623 2466
Unemployed 232 212 134 142 156 164 105 83
Not in the Labor Force Total 1192 943 703 527 427 294 120 73
In School 774 728 573 410 315 212 61 18
Unable to Work 3 7 7 5 7 15 22 29
Other 44 58 76 97 951 67 37 26
Never Worked 371 150 47 15 10 0 0 0
Not Interviewed -- 310 632 811 825 789 939 1165
Year Total 3787 3787 3787 3787 3787 3787 3787 3787
Black Respondents
Total Interviewed 1438 1313 1163 1057 1031 989 847 776
In the Labor Force Total 1025 970 928 879 906 895 797 743
Employed 858 811 820 780 797 802 722 670
Unemployed 167 159 108 99 109 93 75 73
Not in the Labor Force Total 413 343 235 178 125 94 50 33
In School 223 266 178 117 68 41 6 3
Unable to Work 2 2 5 4 5 8 15 8
Other 27 23 33 46 421 45 29 22
Never Worked 161 52 19 11 10 0 0 0
Not Interviewed -- 125 275 381 407 449 591 662
Year Total 1438 1438 1438 1438 1438 1438 1438 1438
                 
1 Includes one respondent in each racial group recoded from "Code 7" to "Code 8-Other."

Class of Worker

In each survey year, older men and young men respondents provided data on their class of worker status. Respondents reported whether they (1) worked for a private company or an individual for wages, salary, or commission; (2) were government employees; (3) were self-employed in their own business, professional practice, or farm; or (4) were working without pay in a family business or farm. In addition, level of government data (gathered after 1977) and information on whether a business or professional practice is incorporated (collected at each interview) are included as coding categories in the later survey years. The reference job for these class of worker variables is usually the "current or last job"; however, during the early survey years, the reference job was the "current job." Definitions for class of worker classifications are listed in Figure 1.

Each year, survey staff created collapsed versions of the class of worker variables combining the questions described above. These variables distinguish between: (1) wage and salaried workers (including those self-employed respondents who work in an incorporated business); (2) workers self-employed in unincorporated businesses or farms; and (3) those working without pay on family farms or businesses. These collapsed variables are available for all respondents regardless of current employment status; class of worker status for respondents who are unemployed or out of the labor force is derived from the last job reported.

Class of worker data are available not only for the current or last job but also, during select years, for one or more intervening jobs held since the date of the last interview or for dual jobs held during the survey week.

Older and Young Men employment information collected during the early survey years focused on "jobs" while more recent surveys centered on "employers." Users are urged to carefully consult the survey instruments and to be sensitive to the possibility that persons reporting a new job may still be with their former employer.

Figure 1. Definitions of CPS class of worker entries

Private Employees are those who work for wages, salary, commission, tips, piece-rates or pay in kind. This applies regardless of the occupation at which the employee worked, whether general manager, file clerk, or porter. Includes persons working for pay for settlement houses, churches, unions, and other private nonprofit organizations.

Federal Government Employees are those who work for any branch of the Federal Government. Includes persons who were elected to paid Federal offices, civilian employees of the Armed Forces, and some members of the National Guard. Also includes employees of international organizations (e.g., United Nations) and employees of foreign governments, such as persons employed by the French Embassy or by the British Joint Services Mission.

State Government Employees are those who work for State governments and include paid State officials (including statewide JTPA [Job Training and Partnership Act] administrators), State police, and employees of State universities and colleges.

Local Government Employees are those who work for cities, towns, counties, and other local areas. Included would be city-owned bus lines, electric power companies, water and sewer service, local JTPA offices, etc. Also includes employees of public elementary and secondary schools.

Self-employed Worker refers to a person working for profit or fees in their own business, shop, office, or farm.

Without Pay refers to a person working without pay on a farm or in a business operated by a related member of the household. Room and board and a cash allowance are not counted as pay for these family workers.

Never Worked refers to a person looking for work who never before held a full-time job lasting two consecutive weeks or more.

Source: Interviewer's Manual: Current Population Survey. Washington, DC: Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, July 1985.

Survey Instruments & Documentation Questions relating to class of worker can be found in the various "Current Labor Force Status," "Work Experience," or "Work History" sections of the Older and Young Men questionnaires. The method of creating the collapsed class of worker variables is provided within each cohort's codebook.

Training

Older Men cohort

Training questions were fielded during all personal interviews except the 1990 resurvey (i.e., 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1976, and 1981). Information was collected during the initial survey on the training experiences of these then middle-aged men while in high school and since their regular schooling ended. Subsequent surveys updated that information. Questions on the training plans of respondents and their participation in pre-retirement planning programs were fielded during select survey years.

The 1966 survey first collected information on whether the respondent had been enrolled in any vocational or commercial training in high school. Respondents then reported whether, since completing regular schooling, they had obtained additional training from a business college/technical institute, a full-time (six weeks or more) company training school, the Armed Forces, or another vocational/technical/apprenticeship program. The survey also asked about general training in English, math, or science. For each training program, data were collected on the type of training (professional/technical, managerial, clerical, skilled manual, or general courses), the length of the training, and whether the respondent completed the program or used the acquired skills on his current job. For the longest vocational training taken outside of regular school, the Census Bureau created three variables that summarized the type of program, the sponsor or training provider, and whether that training was used on the respondent's current job. Coding categories for the created training type and sponsor variables are consistent with those of the raw variables, with "apprenticeship" added as a separate type of training provider.

Subsequent surveys updated the respondent's record from the date of the last personal interview. Data on additional training courses or educational programs in which the respondent had enrolled either on the job or elsewhere were gathered. In addition to the core information on each program (i.e., type, length, sponsor, completion status, and use on current job), information was collected on hours per week spent in the training, the reason the respondent did not complete, and the reason for enrollment in additional training. Created variables are present for the 1967, 1969, and 1971 surveys that summarize the total number of hours and number of weeks between the current and last interview dates that the respondent spent in training. In 1971, a new set of questions was fielded on the respondent's plans to take additional training courses in the near future. The 1976 survey added a question on whether the respondent expected to use this training in retirement; the 1981 interviews asked whether a pre-retirement planning program had been taken and, if so, who sponsored the program, the program's duration, whether it had been completed, or whether the respondent found it helpful.

Table 1 presents by survey year and race the number of Older Men (and Young Men) respondents participating in training programs.

Table 1. Numbers of Respondents Participating in Training Programs by Survey Year and Race: Older and Young Men 1966-81
Year Older Men Young Men
Total Non-Black Black Total Non-Black Black
1966 1846 1520 326 577 464 113
1967 382 316 66 363 268 95
1968 Note 1.1 Note 1.1 Note 1.1 564 448 116
1969 434 367 67 651 523 128
1970 Note 1.2 Note 1.2 Note 1.2 767 613 154
1971 413 342 71 776 613 163
1973 Note 1.1 Note 1.1 Note 1.1 1061 870 191
1975 Note 1.1 Note 1.1 Note 1.1 1095 912 183
1976 437 377 60 944 781 163
1978 Note 1.1 Note 1.1 Note 1.1 1090 914 176
1980 Note 1.1 Note 1.1 Note 1.1 1061 910 151
1981 252 216 36 811
Note 1.3
705 106

The 1966 variable for both cohorts was constructed from four separate questions that asked the respondent whether he had ever participated outside of regular school in specific types of training programs. Thus the reference period for 1966 was "ever participated" while that of subsequent survey years was participation "since the last interview," "in the past five years," etc. Excluded from this table is participation in military training reported in separate question series by the Older Men in 1966 and by the Young Men during the 1966, 1969, 1971, 1976, and 1981 surveys.

Note 1.1: No training questions asked of the cohort in these years.

Note 1.2: Older Men cohort was not fielded in 1970.

Note 1.2: Does not include respondents who were enrolled in a training program at the 1980 interview date and reported attending that program between the 1980 and 1981 interviews. Information about these at-last-interview training programs was collected in a separate series of questions.

Related Variables Two variables, created in 1966 and 1971, are titled 'Skill Content Current Last Job' and provide information on the usual length of training time necessary to perform the respondent's current/last job.
Survey Instruments The "Education & Training" sections of the 1966, 1967, 1969, and 1971 questionnaires and the "Retrospective Work History" sections of the 1976 and 1981 instrument.

Young Men cohort

Created variables

Summary variables were created from data collected in 1966, 1968, and 1971 that indicate whether the respondent completed or used various types of training, e.g., 'Completed or Used Professional or Technical Occupational Training as of 66?,' 'Completed or Used Clerical Occupational Training, 66-71?,' etc.

During the initial survey, respondents not enrolled in school who were not college graduates were asked a series of questions on their plans for more education or training. These respondents also reported whether they had ever been enrolled outside of regular school in business/technical training, a company training school, other vocational training (including apprenticeship) and whether they had taken additional general courses (e.g., English, mathematics, or science) since they stopped attending full-time school. For each training experience, information was collected on the type of training (technical/professional, managerial, clerical, skilled or semi-skilled manual, or other training including basic or general courses); number of months and hours per week spent in training; whether the program was completed and if not, the reason; and use of the skills acquired in the training program on the respondent's current/last job. Each subsequent survey continued the core data collection with information on whether additional formal training or educational courses had been taken either on the job or elsewhere, the type of training, duration and intensity, completion status, reason for the training, and use on present job. These questions referred to the period since the date of the respondent's last interview or since October 1 of the previous interview year if he had not participated in the previous interview. Changes in the eligible universe of respondents, new sets of questions, and changes in the coding categories of the core data collection are discussed below. Table 1 above presents the number of Young Men respondents participating in training programs.

Over time, the universe of respondents asked the training questions was expanded. In 1966 and 1967, only respondents who were not enrolled in school and who were not college graduates were asked about their training experiences. In 1968-76, all respondents not currently enrolled in regular school answered questions about training experiences, regardless of college graduation status. In 1978-81, all respondents, both enrolled and not enrolled, reported participation in training programs other than regular school.

Information on the type of institution providing the training was added beginning with the 1967 survey. Core coding categories for the type of school variables include business college/technical institute, company training school, correspondence school, regular school, and other (including federally funded MDTA or Title V programs). Codes for apprenticeship and Armed Forces were added as permanent categories in 1973. During the 1971 and 1976 survey years only, the regular school category was differentiated into community or junior college, high school, and area vocational school. Information was collected during the 1976 survey on training programs offered by a community agency (church, YMCA, etc.).

The 1970 questionnaire included a retrospective on any training courses or educational programs taken prior to October 1967. During the 1971 and 1976 surveys, a series of questions on plans for future training courses or educational programs were added. The number of questions varied but included the type of training, reason, month and year such training was expected to be taken, and factors influencing the decision to seek training. The 1973, 1975 and 1976 surveys added a question to the core series that provided information on whether the respondent was still enrolled in the last survey year's training program. Stop dates (month completed training) were collected during the 1967-71 and 1976 surveys.

Limited information was collected regarding apprenticeships and journeyman's status. The 1975 interviews included a retrospective on whether the respondent had ever been enrolled prior to October 1971 in an apprenticeship program, start and stop dates, whether the program had been completed, and the type of trade learned. Journeyman's status questions included in the 1978 survey collected information on whether the respondent held a journeyman's card, the occupation of up to three journeyman's trades, whether journeyman's status was attained following an apprenticeship, and the year the first card was received.

Important information: Training questions

  1. As noted above, the type of training provider question included an Armed Forces answer category. In addition to any information collected in the regular training series, respondents in the Young Men cohort answered a second series of questions referring specifically to military training. These questions are discussed in the Military section of this guide.
  2. Rumberger (1984) states that participation in training may be understated due to a questionnaire skip pattern that omitted from questioning respondents enrolled in school during the fall fielding period who might have participated in training prior to their current school enrollment.

References

Freeman, Richard B. "Occupational Training in Proprietary Schools and Technical Institutes." Review of Economics and Statistics 56,3 (August 1974): 310-18.

Grasso, John T. "The Contributions of Vocational Education, Training, and Work Experience to the Early Career Achievements of Young Men." Ph.D. Dissertation, The Ohio State University, 1975.

Grasso, John T. and Myers, Steven C. "The Labor Market Effects of Investment in Human Capital." In: Career Thresholds, Volume 6: A Longitudinal Study of the Educational and Labor Market Experience of Young Men. A.I. Kohen, et al. Columbus, OH: CHRR, The Ohio State University, 1977.

Hills, Stephen M. "How Craftsmen Learn Their Skills: A Longitudinal Analysis." In: Job Training for Youth, R. Taylor, et al. Columbus, OH: National Center for Research in Vocational Education, 1982.

Hills, Stephen M. "A Longitudinal Analysis of the Monetary Benefits to Training for Craftsmen." Columbus, OH: CHRR, The Ohio State University, 1982.

Hills, Stephen M. "Longitudinal Analyses of Training Processes in the United States." Presented: Urbana, IL: Rupert P. Evans Symposium on Vocational Education, 1982c.

Hills, Stephen M. and Santos, Richard. "Perceived Utility of Job Training Methods among Young Men." Columbus, OH: CHRR, The Ohio State University, 1983.

Lillard, Lee and Tan, Hong W. "Private Sector Training: Who Gets It and What Are Its Effects?" Research in Labor Economics 13 (1992): 1-62.

Mangum, Stephen and van Adams, Arvil. "The Labor Market Impacts of Post-School Occupational Training for Young Men." Growth & Change 18,4 (Fall 1987): 57-73.

Mangum, Stephen and Ball, David. "Skill Transfer and Military Occupational Training." In: The Changing Labor Market: A Longitudinal Study of Young Men. Stephen M. Hills, ed. Columbus, OH: CHRR, The Ohio State University, 1986.

Rumberger, Russell W. "The Incidence and Wage Effects of Occupational Training among Young Men." Social Science Quarterly 65, 3 (September 1984): 775-88.

Rumberger, Russell W. "The Intensity of Occupational Training and its Effect on Earnings." In: Market Defenses: Early Work Decisions of Today's Middle-Aged Men. Stephen M. Hills, ed. Columbus, OH: CHRR, The Ohio State University, 1983.

Related Variables The 1966 CPS section included a question on whether the respondent's current job required more or less or about the same skills as the job held one year ago. (The CPS section refers to the series of employment questions that replicated 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 1966 "Attitudes Towards Work" section included three hypothetical questions dealing with the type of training, the type of school, and the method of financing additional schooling should the respondent permanently lose his present job and decide to return to school or get training. The CPS section of the 1980 questionnaire included a set of questions on the training methods used to learn the respondent's current/last job and, for those with more than one method, the most helpful method was identified. Coding categories included college courses, vocational school, company training, Armed Forces, apprenticeship, on-the-job training, promotion, relative/friend, informal training, etc. This 1980 series replicated a set of retrospective questions from a supplement to the April 1963 Current Population Survey that collected information on the training methods used to learn a specific job. Hills (1982c) presents comparison data from the 1980 NLS of Young Men and a sample of young people from the 1963 CPS.
Survey Instruments The "Education & Training" section of the 1966 questionnaire; the "Educational Status" sections of the 1967-71, 1976, and 1981 questionnaires; and untitled sections of the 1973, 1975, 1978, and 1980 questionnaires.
Documentation Attachment 2. 1960 and 1980 Census Industrial & Occupational Classification Codes in the Young Men Codebook Supplement contains the codes for the 1975 and 1978 apprenticeship training and journeyman trade variables.

Aptitude, Achievement, and Intelligence Scores (Young Men cohort)

Scores from various aptitude and intelligence tests were collected for respondents in the Young Men cohort during the 1968 survey of high schools. Designed primarily to gather information on the characteristics of the secondary school most recently attended and on respondents' academic performance, the survey also collected information on the names of the most recent scholastic aptitude or intelligence test (R01711.-R01718.) taken by those respondents who were subjects of the survey. A composite score is available that combines the results from such tests as the Otis/Beta/Gamma, the California Test of Mental Maturity, and the Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Test, as well as the PSAT, SAT, and ACT college entrance examinations. The composite score is referred to as the 'IQ Score' (R01711.) and is described in the appendix to Kohen (1973). Table YM1 lists each test and the number of respondents for whom data are available. Additional information on this survey can be found in the "High School & College Surveys" section.

Table YM1. Aptitude & intelligence tests: Young Men School Survey
Aptitude/Intelligence Test Value in R01712. # of Respondents with Scores

American College Testing Program (ACT/ACTP)

11 44

California Test of Maturity (CTMM/CMM)

2 625

Differential Aptitude Test (DAT)

9 64

Henmon-Nelson Test (HNTMA)

4 216

Iowa Test of Educational Development (ITED)

8 97

Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Test

3 169

National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT)

12 20

Otis/Beta/Gamma

1 848

Preliminary & Scholastic Aptitude Tests (PSAT/SAT/CEEB)

7 223

Primary Mental Ability Test (PMA/PMAT)

6 34

School and College Ability Test (SCAT)

10 165

Test of Educational Ability (TEA)

5 42

One assessment, the "Knowledge of the World of Work" scale (R00297.-R00325.), was directly administered to the Young Men in 1966. The first part of this scale asked respondents to pick one of three statements that best described the duties of each of ten jobs commonly held by men. For each of these jobs, the respondent then stated how much education was required (i.e., less than a high school diploma, high school diploma, some college, college degree). Finally, the respondent was presented with eight pairs of occupations and asked which of each pair had higher average wages. Several subscores and a total score (R00616.-R00619.) were calculated by survey staff; derivations for these scores are provided in the codebook.

Important information: IQ scores

IQ scores were constructed using scores from the tests available from school records (Kohen 1973). While there may be psychometric problems in constructing an IQ measure from a variety of test forms, these constructed variables assist the user who wishes to construct a unified score from having to repeat the work involved in pooling scores. Similar information is available for respondents in the Young Women cohort.

Reference

Kohen, Andrew I. "Determinants of Early Labor Market Success Among Young Men: Race, Ability, Quantity and Quality of Schooling." Ph.D. Dissertation, The Ohio State University, 1973.

Survey Instruments The separate instrument called the Young Men and Women School Survey (1968) collected the test score information. The Knowledge of the World of Work scale is located in the "Knowledge of the World of Work" section of the 1966 questionnaire.
Documentation Appendix 9. Determinants of Early Labor Market Success: Appendix A in the Young Men Codebook Supplement contains useful background information on the 1968 school survey and details certain variable creation procedures.
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