I. General Instructions for the Displaced Workers, Job Tenure, and Occupational Mobility Supplement

A. Purposes and Uses of the Supplement Data

The Displaced Workers, Job Tenure, and Occupational Mobility Supplement is sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This supplement is being conducted to measure the severity of job displacements and assess employment stability during a period of downsizing at many firms, cutbacks in defense spending, and increased use of temporary and contract labor.

The data on displaced workers are used to determine the size and nature of the population affected by job displacements and, hence, the need and scope of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs. JTPA programs provide adjustment assistance, retraining, and support services to :

Workers who have lost their jobs or have received notice that they soon will lose their jobs due to a permanent plant closing,

Laid-off workers who are unlikely to return to their previous industry or occupation, and

The long term unemployed with little prospect of reemployment.

The data on job tenure and occupational mobility are used to calculate displacement rates for long-tenured workers, so that comparisons can be made over time and among different worker groups. Job tenure data are also important because of the relationship between seniority and such job characteristics as wages and benefits. Data on occupational mobility are useful to assess the training and educational needs of the workforce.

B. Privacy Act Information for the February Supplement

Authority and Penalties

This supplement is conducted under authority of Title 13, United States Code, Section 182. Participation in the supplement is voluntary, and ther are no penalties for failure to answer any of the questions; however, each unanswered question lessens the accuracy of the final data. All information provided by individuals participating in this supplement is confidential as required by Federal law. The information may be seen only by sworn Census employees and may be used only for statistical purposes. After the information has been collected, it will be compiled and organized into meaningful statistical summaries for analysis and tabulation.

C. Overview of the Supplement Instrument

The supplement instrument consists of five different parts (item series) identified by the second and third letters of the item names, as illustrated in the box below:

Item Series Description SD1-19 Displaced worker items SLE1-22 Lost earnings items SD20-27 Displaced worker items (cont'd) SCE1-25 */ Current earnings ST1-24 Tenure and occupational mobility items SDB1-13 Debriefing items */ In the supplement, you will collect current earnings data only for months in sample other than 4 and 8, since you already collect current earnings for months in sample 4 and 8 in the basic CPS.

The supplement questions are asked after the labor force items are completed for a household. Many of the supplement questions are similar to those asked in the basic CPS.

All persons eligible for the labor force items are also eligible for the supplement. However, you will ask different supplement questions depending on the characteristics of each person:

Persons 20 years of age and over, who lost/left a job in the last 3 years for selected reasons, are eligible for the displaced workers items

(SD1-SD27, including earnings items SLE1-SLE22 and SCE1-SCE25).

Employed persons 15 years of age and over are eligible for the job tenure and occupational mobility items (ST1-ST24). For multiple jobholders, these questions refer to the main job.

Respondents in months in sample 4 and 8 only are eligible for the debriefing items (SDB1 - SDB13).

This supplement is a proxy response supplement for which you cannot schedule callbacks. That is, you cannot complete the labor force interview and hope to be able to re-access the case at a later time to complete the supplement interview.

II. Item by Item Instructions for Completing the Supplement

Following are the supplement items and general instructions or definitions for each item as necessary. All of the items are not listed. As you read these instructions, you should refer to the items booklet (attachment) where all of the items and their answer categories are illustrated.

>SD1< During the last 3 calendar years, that is, January 1993 through December 1995, did you lose a job, or leave one because: your plant or company closed or moved, your position or shift was abolished, insufficient work or another similar reason?

Purpose

The purpose of this question is to determine if a worker has lost a job involuntarily or left a job before it would have ended, in the last three calendar years. It is also used as a screening question to determine if the remainder of the "displaced workers" questions should be asked.

This question determines the job referred to throughout the displaced worker items (including the lost earnings items, SLE1-SLE22). Therefore, it is vital that you take into account the definitions of "lost job" and "involuntary separation" when you enter the answers to items SD1 through SD27.

Definition of Lost Job

Enter 1 (yes) in SD1 for persons who lost or left a job during the last three calendar years for the reasons stated in the question. Some workers will have lost more than one job in the last three calendar years. For these persons especially, you must clearly explain to the respondent that he/she should answer the displaced worker questions in terms of the lost job that was held the longest.

This would be the case even for persons currently unemployed because of a recent job loss. If they had previously (over the past three calendar years) lost a job which they had held longer than the job which they have recently lost, explain to them that the "displaced workers" questions refer to the earlier job. For example, if the person worked for Atlantic Research for 20 years, and lost that job in 1993, but found new employment in 1994 at Sears and subsequently lost that job, the reference job is the one at Atlantic Research.

Definition of Involuntary Separation

Enter 1 in SD1 if the person lost or left a job in the last three calendar years due to involuntary separation, as defined below:

1) Plant closed or moved - The place of business where the employee reported to work is no longer operating. The employer may have moved the business away or may have shut down the local operation permanently or temporarily. Include those persons that are offered relocation with an employer that moves, but turns down the offer.

2) Position or shift abolished - This could be caused by a company's losing a contract and terminating the jobs associated with that contract.

3) Insufficient work - Inadequate demand for a company's products or services, or for the individual's specific job.

4) Similar reasons - These include all types of factors which are based on the operating decisions of the firm, plant or business in which the worker was employed and which result in the worker losing or leaving a job. If a person lost a job because his/her own business failed, enter 1. This would be true even for persons who are now operating another self-operated business, if the current business is different from the former one.

How to Complete

Enter 1 in SD1 if an individual retired because he was going to lose his/her job.

Enter 1 in SD1 if the worker was recalled by the same employer to do a different kind of work. For example, if the worker was formerly employed as a welder, but was recalled as an assembler, you should still enter 1 to report the loss of his job as a welder. However, enter 2 if the worker was recalled to the same job as a welder. Also, enter 2 if a person changed jobs with an employer with no period of layoff.

Enter 2 if the person left a job for personal reasons, such as going to school after a summer job or because of pregnancy. However, enter 1 if the worker chose to attend school after the plant closed permanently.

Enter 2 if the person was fired from a job because of poor work performance, disciplinary problems, or any other reason that is specific to that individual alone.

>SD2< Which of these specific reasons describes why you are no longer working at that job?

Definition of working "at that job".

Working "at that job" refers both to the specific employer and the kind of work done (i.e., a worker might have been laid off and rehired by the same employer in a different capacity. By the definition in Item SD1, that worker should still be reported as "displaced").

Only the reason that describes why the person is no longer at that job should be entered. For persons who were displaced from more than one job, "that job" should be the one that they held the longest.

How to Ask

Ask Item SD2 exactly as worded putting the emphasis on "at that job" and reading the list to the respondent. If the respondent indicated in Item SD1 that he or she has held and lost more than one job in the past three calendar years you might reword Item SD2 as follows: "For the job held longest, which of the following reasons describes why you are no longer working at that job?" Enter the precode for the main reason given.

<1> Plant or company closed down or moved.

If the employer closed the office or plant where the person worked, went out of business, moved out of the town or area and did not relocate workers (or workers did not want to relocate), or was acquired and did not keep the same workers, enter precode <1> for "Plant or company closed down or moved."

Plant or company operating but lost job because of:

<2> insufficient work

<3> position or shift abolished

<4> seasonal job completed

Position or shift abolished could be caused by a company's losing the jobs associated with that contract.

Enter precodes <2-4> if the person lost his job and was rehired by the same employer but in a different capacity.

<5> Self-operated business failed

Enter precode <5> if a person closed his/her own place of business for reasons such as insufficient demand for their product or service or bankruptcy.

<6> Some other reason

Enter precode <6> for reasons not already covered.

>SD3< In what year did you last work at that job?

Again, make sure that this answer refers to the job that was held for the longest period of time.

>SD4< Do you expect to be recalled to that job within the next 6 months?

This question is asked of persons who reported losing their job in 1995. It is used to identify workers on layoff who expect to be recalled.

>SD5< Had you been given written advance notice informing you that (the plant or business would be closed) (you would lose your job)?

"Written advance notice" only refers to a written statement that the individual received prior to a plant/business shutdown or a job loss. Enter 2 if the person only received notice verbally.

>SD6< How long before you were to have lost your job did you receive that notice?

This item refers to the time period prior to the job loss that the person received said notice informing him/her that the job loss would occur. Enter the respondent's answer accordingly:

<1> Less than 1 month (1-3 weeks OR 1-29 days)

<2> 1 to 2 months (4-8 weeks OR 30-60 days)

<3> More than 2 months (9 or more weeks OR 61 or more days)

>SD7< through >SD15< Description of job formerly held.

These items refer to the person's former job. Instructions on how to complete these items are the same as for completing basic CPS Items IO1INT through IO1DT1. (See instructions on pages B4-1 through B4-5 and C4-25 through C4-35 of your CPS manual.)

>SD16< On that job, were you a member of a union or an employee association similar to a union?

This item asks whether or not the sample person was a union member or a member of an employee association on the job they were displaced from.

>SD17< Did you have health insurance at that job?

Background

This question refers to any employer-sponsored, employer-paid health insurance plan or one in which the employer contributes a portion of the premium.

How to Complete

Enter precode <1>, "yes", or precode <2>, "no", as appropriate. To enter precode <1> for this item, a person must have been covered under a group health plan sponsored by the employer he/she worked for (Item SD10 or SD11). You should include union sponsored plans in this category.

>SD18< How long had you worked for that employer when that job ended?

Purpose

The purpose of this question is to find out how long the respondent had worked for his/her previous employer as described in Items SD10 or SD11. The words "that employer" will only appear if the respondent answered either <D> Don't know or <R> Refused in items SD10 or SD11. The instrument will fill with the response given in SD10 or SD11, if there is one. This will provide information on how long workers had been with the same employer before displacement.

Definition

A cumulative total of all spells of employment for a particular employer is what is being asked for this item. Breaks in service should be subtracted from the number of years reported, but there is no maximum time away from the job at which prior service is not counted. For example, John worked for J.C.Penney for 3 years; he took a year off to attend school then went back to J.C.Penney and worked for 2 years. He then lost that job. You would enter 5 years for this item.

Caution is required for certain types of workers:

1) Domestic service and odd job workers

For such workers, consider employment by the type of work done rather than the work done for a particular employer. Confine this duration of the job to the total period of employment at this particular type of work. For example, if a person had worked a total of two years as a chimney sweep for many employers, consider the type of work (chimney sweeping) as the former employer and enter 2 years.

2) Self-employed persons

For self-employed persons, the period of employment would include work done in the same type of business, professional practice, or farm.

3) Unpaid family workers

For an unpaid family worker, the period with the former "employer" would consist of the period of employment at the family-operated farm or business.

>SD19< Did you usually work 35 hours or more per week at that job?

Enter precode <1> if the respondent reports that they usually worked 35 hours or more a week on their lost job.

Enter precode <2> if the respondent reports that they usually worked less than 35 hours a week on their lost job.

If the respondent reports that their hours varied at that job, probe to try to get a definite "yes" or "no" response to this item. If the respondent can't give a "yes" or "no" answer then accept a response of "hours varied" and enter precode <V>.

>SLE1< through >SLE22< Earnings items referring to the lost job.

This series of earnings items is just like the earnings series found in the basic CPS portion of the instrument. Items SLE1 through SLE22 are the same as ERNPR through ERNWKP, except items SLE1 through SLE22 refer to the job the person lost and not to their current job, if one exists. Complete items SLE1 through SLE22 as you would the earnings items in the basic portion of the CPS instrument, with the exception of the hourly figures collected in dollars and cents. The dollars and cents will require two entries. Enter the dollar amount with no decimal places, hit the carriage return, and then enter the cents amount and hit carriage return. This will be completed on the same screen; so, the screens don't change, just the look of how you enter the values changes.

>SD20< Did you receive unemployment insurance benefits after that job ended?

Definition of "Unemployment Insurance Benefits"

Unemployment insurance benefits include any money received from state unemployment insurance funds, strike benefits paid from union funds, and supplemental unemployment benefits (SUB) paid by private companies (auto companies, etc.) to help replace wages during times of layoff. Supplemental unemployment benefits are paid to persons by a private company (either directly or indirectly) and are received in addition to state unemployment benefits.

How to Complete

Enter precode <1>, "yes", if the respondent received any of the above-mentioned benefits. Enter precode <2>, "no", if the person never received any payments.

>SD21< Did you exhaust your eligibility for unemployment benefits?

For unemployment benefits received from the job specified in SD10 or SD11, ask the person to assess whether or not he/she exhausted his/her eligibility to receive unemployment benefits. In other words, did the person collect unemployment benefits for the maximum allowable time, without finding a job in between.

>SD22< Since that job ended, have you moved to a different city or county?

Enter precode <1>, "yes", if the sample person changed residence to a different city or county since he/she was displaced. For example, enter <1> if the person moved to his current residence in New York when he lost the job in Pittsburgh (i.e., the job referred to in SD1).

>SD23< Was the reason for the move to look for work or to take a different job?

Enter precode <1> if the main reason the sample person moved to a different city or county was to look for work or to take a different job. Enter precode <2> if looking for work or taking a different job was not the main reason the sample person moved.

>SD24< Have you worked for pay since that job ended?

This item determines whether or not the sample person has worked for pay since losing his/her job (the job described in SD7-SD15).

>SD25< After that job ended, how many weeks went by before you started working again at another job?

Background

This item determines the amount of time which transpired between the person losing his/her job (the job described in SD7-SD15) and starting another job. This question is asked only of respondents who have worked since losing their job (Item SD24 is 1 or more).

How to Complete

Enter the number of weeks in Item SD25. If the number of days is 4 or less, enter "0" in SD25. If the number of days is 5 or more in the first or any subsequent week, round up to the next given whole number of weeks. If the answer is given in days, 7 days = 1 week, round up or down in whole weeks, depending on the number of extra days. (i.e., 1 week and 5 days, enter "2" as the number of weeks in SD25; 30 days, enter "4" in SD25).

>SD26< How many jobs have you held since that job ended?

Purpose

The purpose of this question is to determine if the respondent has found permanent employment since that job ended; or, have they been bounced around from job to job.

How to Complete

When recording the number of jobs, be sure to include:

the respondent's current job

both full-time and part-time jobs

any job regardless of how long the person held that job

>SD27< Other than Medicare or Medicaid, do you now have health insurance?

This question concerns coverage by any group health insurance plan, whether employer-sponsored or not. Enter precode <1>, "yes", for those persons who are currently enrolled in a health plan partially or fully paid for by an employer or the person him/herself. Also, enter precode <1>, "yes", for those persons who are covered by another family member's health insurance plan.

>SCE2< through >SCE25< Earnings items referring to the current job.

Purpose

These items refer to earnings received from the person's current employer. Be sure the respondent understands that you are now referring to earnings from the person's current employer.

How to Complete

Complete items SCE2 through SCE25 just as you would basic CPS items ERNPR through ERNWKP, with the exception of the hourly figures collected in dollars and cents. The dollars and cents will require two entries. Enter the dollar amount with no decimal places, hit the carriage return, and then enter the cents amount and hit carriage return. This will be completed on the same screen; so, the screens don't change, just the look of how you enter the values changes.

>ST1< How long have you been working CONTINUOUSLY (for fill company name from basic CPS)(as a self-employed person)(at your main job)(your present employer)?

Purpose

The purpose of this question is to determine how long a person has been CONTINUOUSLY, without interruption, working for his/her present employer.

How to Complete

Be sure and stress CONTINUOUSLY to the respondent. This question is trying to determine how long a person has worked for their present employer. For example, a respondent says they have worked for Westinghouse for 20 years, but they had a 5 year gap in the middle where they worked for General Electric. You should probe to find out how long they have been working CONTINUOUSLY for Westinghouse since returning after having worked for General Electric. This would be the amount of time the respondent has been CONTINUOUSLY working for this employer.

>ST3< Could you please give the exact number of months?

This question is asked only if the respondent has responded in ST1 that they have been CONTINUOUSLY working for their current employer for 2 years or less.

This question is trying to gain some information from people that have been with their current employer for a relatively short period of time. When the respondent's answer in ST1 is 1 or 2 years, they are asked this question to clarify the exact number of months less than 36, that they have been working for their current employer. Only responses of 1 through 35 are allowable.

>ST4< Did you have any previous periods of employment with (fill company name from basic CPS)(your main employer)(your present employer) in addition to the period you just told me?

This question is trying to determine if the person had any previous periods of employment with their present employer, other than the CONTINUOUSLY reported employment reported in ST1. For example, the person may have worked as an intern for a radio station during his/her third year in college, and then returned to work for that same radio station (which is his/her current employer) several years after graduating from college. In this case, you would enter precode <1> in ST4.

>ST5< Altogether, how long have you worked at (fill company name from basic CPS)(your main employer)(your present employer)?

This question is trying to determine the total amount of time an individual has actually worked for their present employer. Make sure that they include all time actually worked, but that they don't include any time for breaks in service. For example, an individual worked for their current employer for 10 years, left to pursue other interests for 1 year, and then returned to their current employer 3 years ago. This individual's total length of time at their present employer would be 13 years.

>ST7< Earlier you told me you lost or left your job (at firm name from displaced worker part of supplement) in 1995. Did you work there in February 1995?

This question is only asked of individuals that have been with their current employer for less than 1 year, and were displaced (according to SD3) during 1995. The purpose of this question is to determine if the individual was working at their "displaced" job in February 1995.

>ST8< through >ST14< Current job information

These questions are asked of individuals who have been with their current employer for less than 1 year and were "displaced" (according to SD3) during 1995. Question ST8 determines if the individual was working in February 1995. Questions ST9 through ST14 ask where they worked, what type of job they held, and what their occupation and job duties entailed. These questions follow the same pattern as similar questions asked in basic CPS.

>ST16< Earlier you told me that the business or industry that you currently work in is (fill name of industry from basic CPS). Is that the same industry in which you worked a year ago, in February 1995?

The purpose of this question is to see if the individual is working in the same industry now as they were working in a year ago. They do not have to be working at the same company, just in the same industry. Industry would be defined as what they do or make at the individual's place of employment. For example, the respondent worked at a sand and gravel mining operation in February 1995. In February of 1996, the respondent says they now work at a different sand and gravel plant, but it is still a sand and gravel mining operation. He/she would be considered to still be working in the same industry, they would just be with a different employer.

>ST17< and >ST18< Kind of Business or Industry

These questions are asked of persons who responded that they worked in a different industry in February 1995 (Item ST16 = 2). These questions ask what kind of business or industry the respondent worked in February of 1995. Was it manufacturing, retail trade, wholesale trade, or something else?

>ST20< through >ST22< Occupation Information

These questions ask what type of occupation the respondent worked in February 1995. Was it the same occupation they are currently working in; or, was it something else?

The purpose of these questions is to see if the individual has changed occupations in the last year; or, are they still engaging in the same type of job activities and duties.

>ST23< Altogether, how long have you worked as (fill occupation from basic CPS)?

Purpose

The purpose of this question is to see how long an individual has been working in their current occupation. If it has been a relatively short period (1 or 2 years), the respondent will be asked the next question on how many months they have been working at their current occupation.

This question helps to determine occupational changes. If the individual has only been a plumber for less than 1 year, what did they do in February 1995?

>ST24< Could you please give the exact number of months.

This question is only asked if the respondent answers that the person has worked in his/her current occupation for less than 3 years. The question is used to find out exactly how many months a person has been working in his/her present occupation, for persons that have been in their current occupation for relatively short periods of time.

>SDB1< through >SDB13< Debriefing Questions

Following are the respondent debriefing questions. These questions are asked to determine if respondents are interpreting and answering the supplement questions the way they were intended. They refer directly to questions already asked and responses given during the supplement interview, and may at times sound quite similar to the actual supplement questions.

>SDB1< Earlier you told me that you had lost or left a job during the past three calendar years. Did you lose or leave more than one job in the time period spanning January 1993 through December 1995?

>SDB2< Earlier in the interview, when answering questions about the job you had lost or left between January 1993 and December 1995, were you answering these questions based on the job that you had held for the longest time?

SDB1 and SDB2 are asked to determine whether persons had been displaced from more than one job and, if so, which job the respondents were referring to when answering the questions on displacement. If the person was displaced from more than one job, the job that was held longest is the one to which the respondents should refer.

>SDB3< Did you lose that job or did you leave that job?

The objective of this question is to determine how displaced workers view their separation from work. The possible responses are: 1) Retired from job; 2) Lost job; and 3) Left job.

>SDB4< During the time period spanning January 1993 through December 1995, did you leave a job or retire from a job?

This question is asked of persons who either answered "no" to SD1, or gave a non-displacement reason in SD2, and therefore, were not considered dosplaced. The question is asked to determine if persons are being skipped out of the displaced worker series inappropriately.

>SDB5< What is the exact reason you are no longer working at that job?

This question is trying to determine the reasons - either economic or personal - for job loss among displaced, or potentially displaced, workers.

>SDB6< Did you retire for any of the following reasons?

How to Ask

Read the answer list in order. Stop at the first reason the respondent identifies as the reason for their retirement.

Purpose

This question is trying to determine if persons who report they retired from their job are inappropriately being skipped out of the displaced worker series.

>SDB7< Did you ever miss more than four continuous weeks of work from the job you lost or left for reasons OTHER THAN vacation, sick leave, or strike?

The purpose of this question is to determine if the target person experienced any extended breaks in service prior to being displaced.

>SDB8< Earlier, when asked how long you had worked for this employer when the job ended, did you include any of these extended periods of missed work as part of your total service time?

This question is used to see if any significant breaks in service are being included in the length of service reported for the job from which the target person was displaced.

>SDB9< Have you had a break of more than four continuous weeks from your CURRENT job for any reason OTHER THAN vacation, strike, or maternity or paternity leave?

Purpose

The purpose of this question is to determine if the target person had experienced any extended breaks in service from his/her CURRENT job.

How to Ask

Be sure and stress CURRENT job in this question. SDB7 and SDB8 refer to the job the person lost or left, but this question refers to his/her current job.

>SDB10< How long has it been since the end of your most recent break of four weeks or more?

This question is trying to determine the actual length of time the target person has worked continuously for his/her present employer. Make sure the respondent is aware that the question refers to the current job.

>SDB11< What was the reason for this break?

This question is open-ended and requires you to type in the response verbatim. It is trying to determine the reasons, other than vacation, strike, maternity or paternity leave, for the break in service.

>SDB12< Earlier you told me that you worked as a (fill occupation from basic CPS) for (fill with answer to ST23). Is this the TOTAL length of time that you have worked as a (fill occupation from basic CPS) or just the length of time you worked as a (fill occupation from basic CPS) with your current employer?

The objective of this question is to determine if the response to ST23 reflects the total length of time the target person has worked in his/her current occupation, or whether some of that time mistakenly has been excluded from the response given in ST23.

>SDB13< Considering your entire work career, how long have you worked as a (fill occupation from basic CPS)?

This question is trying to determine the target person's total tenure in his/her current occupation, including any time that may have been excluded in the response to question ST23.

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