PART C

This chapter provides further detail to the labor force concepts covered in Part B. Each section contains questions that relate to a particular series of questions in the labor force portion of the middle of the instrument (on layoff, earnings, etc.). The chapter is broken down as follows:

4.B Employed

4.C Unemployed

4.D Not in the Labor Force

4.E Industry and Occupation

4.F Earnings and Union Membership

4.G School Enrollment

In determining if a person is employed, the first question you ask is if anyone in the household has a business or farm, BUS, Figure C26.

>BUS< Does anyone in this household have a business or a farm?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

Select 1-Yes when any of the following conditions is met:

• machinery or equipment of substantial value is used in conducting the business.
• an office, store, or other place of business is maintained.
• the business is advertised by:
• listing in the classified section of the telephone book,
• displaying a sign,
• distributing cards or leaflets or otherwise publicizing that the work or service is offered to the general public.

After determining if a business is present, you ask the working series (WK through MJNUM) of questions to determine whether a person is classified as working or not working and how many jobs they may have. Figure C27 is the WK screen where you enter if the person was at work.

>WK<

LAST WEEK, did you do ANY work for (either) pay (or profit)?

<1> Yes

<2> No

<3> Retired

<4> Disabled

<5> Unable to work

===>_

Enter 1-Yes if any of the following conditions is met:

• a person did any activity for wages or salary, for profit or fees, or for payment in kind. One hour or more of such activity constitutes work.
• a person receives part of the profits from the business/ farm, or would have received part of the profits if the business/farm had not operated at a loss, regardless of the number of hours worked during the reference week. NOTE: If the business is only an investment, enter 2 as described below.
• a person did unpaid activity during the reference week in a family business or farm.

Enter 2-No for the following conditions:

• a person received profits from a business which (s)he owns for investment purposes only and does not participate in the management or actual operations of the business;
• a person was on jury duty or National Guard/Reserve duty;
• a person did unpaid work that did not contribute to the family business/farm;
• a person did unpaid work in the business of an unrelated household member or for a relative not in the household.

Enter 3-Retired if any of the following conditions is met:

• a person says they are retired from work, whether voluntarily or not;
• a person says they RETIRED because of health;
• a person says they are "too old to work any more".

Enter 4-Disabled when all of the following conditions are met:

• a person has a specific physical or mental condition that prevents the individual from working,
• the disability is not a combination of minor disabilities that normally come with advanced age,
• the disability incapacitates a person and prevents him/her from doing any kind of work, not just the type of work at his/her last job, for at least the next 6 months.

Enter 5-Unable to work if the conditions listed under disabled are met, that is, the person's medical condition prevents him/her from doing any kind of work, not just the type of work at his/her last job, for the next 6 months.

This response category is provided because individuals with a temporary medical condition may not consider themselves disabled (which to some people signifies a permanent condition), but rather currently unable to work. Persons responding with "unable to work" follow the same questionnaire path as those responding "disabled".

"Workers in family business."

Persons in a household with a family business (as identified in BUS) who respond "no" to WK are asked in BUS1 if they worked in the family business.

>BUS1<

LAST WEEK, did you do any unpaid work in the family business or farm?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

If the answer to BUS1 is "yes," they are asked in BUS2 whether they received payments or profits from that business. (If they do, they are classified as wage and salary workers rather than unpaid family workers.)

>BUS2<

Do you receive any payments or profits from the business?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

>MJ<

LAST WEEK, did you have more than one job (or business), including parttime, evening or weekend work?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

This question is asked of all employed persons each month. Most multiple job holders hold two or more wage and salary jobs or are self-employed on one job and a wage and salary employee on another job. (Also included are people who started and ended jobs in the same week.)

The following situations are NOT multiple job holding.

• An individual may have more than one employer, but only one job. If an individual does the same type of work for more than one employer in an occupation where it is common to have more than one employer the individual should not be considered a multiple job holder, (e.g. private household or domestic workers including baby-sitters, chauffeurs, gardeners, handy persons, cooks, and maids).
• An individual may have more than one client but only one job. If an individual does the same type of work for more than one client in an occupation where it is typical to have more than one client (e.g., artists, consultants, doctors, and lawyers), the individual should not be considered a multiple job holder.
• An individual who owns two or more unincorporated businesses (and has no wage and salary job) is not a multiple job holder.
• An individual may have more than one contract or one piece of work without having more than one job. For example, a general contractor working at more than one construction site would not be a multiple job holder. If an individual has more than one piece of work or more than one contract (e.g., contractors, construction workers), and all of the work is the same type, then the individual has one job.

In order to learn more about the characteristics of multiple job holders, you will ask them about the industry, occupation, and class of worker of their second job in the out- going rotations.

Information on usual hours is asked of all employed persons each month. This question begins the collection of hours data. You ask for usual hours first to determine a person's typical status, and then ask about what they actually did in the reference week.

>HRUSL1<

How many hours per week do you USUALLY work at your (main) job?

ENTER NUMBER OF HOURS

<00-99> Hours each week

<V> Hours vary each week

===>__

Multiple job holders are asked about the hours at their main job and then at all other jobs combined.

You ask an additional question of persons who report that their usual hours vary to determine if they usually work 35 hours or more per week. Although you may select "hours vary", try to keep this entry to a minimum. Use this category only if the respondent is unable to provide an estimate of usual hours as defined below. (See Figure C32.)

>HRFTPT<

Do you usually work 35 hours or more per week at your job?

<1> Yes

<2> No

<3> Hours vary

===>_

Remember that usually is 50% of the time or more, or the most frequent schedule during the past 4 or 5 months.

Below are a few guidelines to follow for estimating usual hours:

• Use whole numbers (Count 30 minutes or more as a whole hour)
• Probe for an exact number when a person provides a range of hours such as, "She usually works about 4045 hours per week".
• Obtain the usual hours a person expects to work for persons whose job started during the reference week.
• If the person's job ended during the reference week, ask for usual hours at that job. However, if a new job began during the same week, you obtain the usual hours for both jobs, since the person would be considered a multiple job holder.
• For persons whose hours vary each week, enter 1 in the follow-up question (HRFTPT) for persons who usually work 35 hours or more for most weeks during the year.
• It is possible for a person who worked during the reference week to not usually work. In such cases his/her usual hours are zero. For example, a retired person worked 20 hours in a friend's business during the reference week, but usually does not work. His/her usual hours are 0 and actual hours are 20.
• Include extra hours usually worked even if they are without compensation. For example, report a lawyer who usually works 60 hours per week, but is only paid for 40 hours, as usually working 60 hours.

In the series of questions on actual hours you first determine if a person lost or took off hours from work. You then identify any extra hours or overtime. These questions provide a transition from usual hours and aid the respondent's recall of actual hours. You then ask for actual hours worked at the main job and then for any hours worked at additional jobs.

Below are a few guidelines to follow for estimating actual hours:

• Use whole numbers (Count 30 minutes or more as a whole hour.)
• For persons with businesses, include hours spent setting up a business or profession, even if it is not opened yet.
• Include hours worked at a person's business even if (s)he actually transacted no business.
• Include hours worked without compensation at a wage or salary job (for example, a teacher grading papers at home).
• Include hours spent doing unpaid work on a family farm or business that is owned by a related household member.

Do not include hours spent on jury duty or on National Guard duty.

There are three different questions that collect information on the reason for working part time. The instrument determines which questions you will ask based on your entry in HRWANT. You ask HRRSN1 of persons who want full-time work.

>HRWANT<

Do you want to work a fulltime workweek of 35 hours or more per week?

<1> Yes

<2> No

<3> Regular hours are fulltime

===>_

HRRSN1 (Figure C34) provides both economic and non-economic reasons for part-time work in order to give the respondent an indication of the type of information we are looking for. The number of people working part time for economic reasons is a closely watched economic indicator, as it is a measure of "underemployment" and of the inability of the nation's economy to generate the types of jobs desired.

Categories of economic reasons are "slack work/business conditions," "could only find part-time work," and "seasonal work." These indicate a business related reason for working part time. The remaining categories are non-economic reasons since they reflect personal, rather than business, reasons for working part time.

>HRRSN1<

Some people work part time because they cannot find fulltime work or because business is poor. Others work part time because of family obligations or other personal reasons. What is (name's/your) MAIN reason for working part time?

(PROBE IF NECESSARY: What is (name's/your) main reason for working PART TIME instead of FULL TIME?)

<1> Slack work/business conditions

<2> Could only find parttime work

<3> Seasonal work

<4> Child care problems

<5> Other family/personal obligations

<6> Health/medical limitations

<7> School/training

<8> Retired/Social Security limit on earnings

<9> Fulltime workweek is less than 35 hours

<10> Other specify

===>__

• Select Slack work/business conditions if the person's work schedule was reduced below 35 hours for a business reason such as a drop in orders, not enough customers, business was slow, or to save jobs. Do not use this for farmers who work less than 35 hours during winter; use "other reason."
• Select Could only find part-time work when the person says "That's all I could find," or "That's all there is around here." Include cases in which the person was hired as part time so the employer could avoid paying benefits.
• Select Seasonal work for persons whose hours were reduced because it is the off-season for their place of business. For example, a person working at a golf course in the winter or a ski resort in the summer might work less than 35 hours because that is all the work there is in the off season.
• Select Child care problems for persons who specifically mention childcare as a reason for taking time off from work. For example, "I had to take time off from work because I could not find someone to watch my children on Friday."
• Select Other family/personal obligations for all other family or home related reasons such as staying home with a sick child, working around the house or going with a child on a school field trip.
• Select Health/medical limitations if the person's own illness, injury, or disability prevented him or her from working full time.
• Select School/training if the person states that (s)he did not work full time due to attendance in any type of school or training program.
• Select Retired/Social Security limit on earnings for persons who say that the reason they are working part time is that they are retired or that this is the most hours they can work without losing Social Security benefits.
• Select Full-time workweek is less than 35 hours when a full-time workweek is considered to be less than 35 hours. This is the case for a few occupations such as airline pilots and flight attendants, whose weekly hours may be limited by Federal regulation. Also, some union contracts provide that a full-time workweek may be less than 35 hours. In these cases, workers are paid at an overtime rate for any hours over the amount considered as full time. Include these cases in this category also.

HRRSN2 (Figure C35) obtains the main reason for not wanting to work full time for persons who do not want full-time work. HRRSN3 (Figure C36) is asked of persons who usually work more than 35 hours per week, but actually worked less than 35 hours during the reference week. Response categories in HRRSN2 are noneconomic reasons only; categories in HRRSN3 include both economic and noneconomic reasons.

>HRRSN2<

What is the main reason you do not want to work full time?

<1> Child care problems

<2> Other family/personal obligations

<3> Health/medical limitations

<4> School/training

<5> Retired/Social Security limit on earnings

<6> Full time workweek less than 35 hours

<7> Other

===>_

>HRRSN3<

What is the main reason you worked less than 35 hours LAST WEEK?

<1> Slack work/business conditions

<2> Seasonal work

<3> Job started or ended during week

<4> Vacation/personal day

<5> Own illness/injury/medical appointment

<6> Holiday (legal or religious)

<7> Child care problems

<8> Other family/personal obligations

<9> Labor dispute

<10> Weather affected job

<11> School/training

<12> Civic/Military duty

<13> Other reason

===>__

There are several categories in HRRSN2 and HRRSN3 that are not in HRRSN1, namely:

• Select Job started or ended during week if the person's hours were less than 35 because his/her job either started or ended during the reference week.
• Select Vacation/personal day if the person worked part time because (s)he took vacation or personal days for part of the reference week.
• Select Own illness/injury/medical appointment if (s)he worked part time in the reference week because of his/her own illness, injury, or appointment at a doctor's or dentist's office.
• Select Holiday (legal or religious) if the person takes time off for the holiday even if the actual holiday is not during the reference week.
• Select Labor dispute (includes strikes and lockouts) if the person takes time off when the labor dispute is at the person's own place of employment.
• Select Weather affected job if (s)he worked part time due to adverse weather conditions.
• Select Civic/Military duty if the person worked part time because of jury duty, Armed Forces reserve duty, National Guard duty, or a similar obligation.

You will ask persons who were not at work for the entire reference week whether they were absent from a job (answer yes to ABS). See Figure C37.

>ABS<

LAST WEEK, did you have a job either full or part time?

Include any job from which you were temporarily absent.

<1> Yes

<2> No

<3> Retired

<4> Disabled

<5> Unable

===>_

A person is temporarily absent if (s)he had a job or business, but did not work during the reference week. If there is any question about the individual's employment status, determine:

• whether (s)he intends to return to work, and
• whether his/her employer has agreed to hold a job for the individual when (s)he returns.

You enter the person's reason for being absent from work in ABSRSN, Figure C38. Use the following guidelines when entering a person's reason for being absent from work.

>ABSRSN<

What was the main reason you were absent from work LAST WEEK?

<1> On layoff (temporary or indefinite)

<2> Slack work/business conditions

<3> Waiting for a new job to begin

<4> Vacation/personal days

<5> Own illness/injury/medical problems

<6> Child care problems

<7> Other family/personal obligation

<8> Maternity/paternity leave

<9> Labor dispute

<10> Weather affected job

<11> School/training

<12> Civic/military duty

<13> Does not work in the business

<14> Other (specify)

===>__

• Select <1> On layoff for persons on temporary or indefinite layoff. A response of "on layoff" routes the person to a series of questions on the details of the layoff situation.
• Select <2> Slack work/business conditions if the person's hours were eliminated because business was slow or to save jobs.
• Select <3> Waiting for a new job to begin if (s)he has definite arrangements to begin a wage and salary job, either civilian or military. Selecting this code routes the person into the unemployed series.
• Select <4> Vacation/personal days if the reason for being absent from a job during the reference week is for vacation or other leisure activities.

If the respondent says "I took a week's vacation so I could finish my exams" or "take care of my sick spouse" or "..because my babysitter was sick," enter the appropriate precode further down the list (i.e., school/training, other family/personal obligation; and child care problems, respectively.)

• Select <5> Own illness/injury/ medical problems if the main reason for being absent from work during the reference week was because of the person's own illness, injury or medical problems. Do NOT choose this if the main reason for being absent from work was another family member's illness, injury, or medical problem. In this case, select other family/personal obligation.
• Select <6> Child care problems if the person was absent for reasons such as unable to find adequate or affordable child care or if the babysitter was on vacation or ill.
• Select <7> Other family/personal obligation for family responsibilities other than child care problems that caused a person to be absent from work during the reference week. Include taking care of a family member, such as a child or parent.
• Select <8> Maternity or paternity leave only if maternity or paternity leave is the main reason for the absence. Keep in mind that (s)he has to intend to return to work and his/her employer has agreed to hold the job or find a position for the person when (s)he returns.
• Select <9> Labor dispute for persons who were on strike, were locked out, or who did not wish to cross a picket line even though they were not members of the union on strike.
• Select <10> Weather affected job for persons who did not work during the reference week because of weather conditions. Examples include a teacher who could not drive to work because of a severe snow storm, or a building contractor who could not work because of heavy rains.
• Select <11> School/training for persons who took time off to study for an exam, finish a paper, etc. Also enter this precode for those persons who are on leave of absence from their jobs because of school or travel.
• Select <12> Civic/military duty for persons who were absent from work for reasons such as jury duty or national guard duty.
• Select <13> Does not work in the business for persons who report that they were absent because they do not usually work in the family business or farm. (This option is only displayed for a person listed as an owner of the family business/ farm.) The instrument will route you to the "looking" series of questions.
• Select <14> Other and enter the verbatim response if you feel that the response given does not fit into one of the listed precodes.

If you select any codes from <4> through <12> in ABSRSN, you will ask an additional question to determine if (s)he is being paid by his/her employer (ABSPD, Shown in Figure C39). The instrument fills ABSPD for owners of a business who say they were not temporarily absent but meet the above criteria.

>ABSPD< Are you being paid by

your employer for any of

the time off last week?

<1> Yes

<2> No

Do not count as being paid persons who are receiving money only from:

• union funds that are distributed to members involved in a labor dispute, or
• unemployment insurance collected by persons involved in a labor dispute.

Persons are on layoff if they are waiting to be recalled to a job from which they were temporarily separated for business-related reasons such as temporary drops in demand, business downturns, plant remodeling, material shortages, and inventory taking. They must have been given a date to report back to work or, if not given a date, must expect to be recalled to the job within 6 months.

>LAY<

LAST WEEK, were you on layoff from a job?

<1> Yes

<2> No

<3> Retired

<4> Disabled

<5> Unable

===>_

Because a person reported to be on layoff in LAY may not meet the official definition as stated above, you will ask additional questions to determine whether the individual expects to be recalled to the job. These questions are LAYDT and LAY6M, which are displayed in Figures C41 and C42. If a person answers "no" to LAYDT, (s)he is asked LAY6M. If there is no expectation of recall, (s)he will be routed through the job search series.

>LAYDT<

Has your employer given you a date to return to work?

<1> Yes

<2> No

>LAY6M<

Have you been given any indication that you will be recalled to work within the next 6 months?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

You also ask if (s)he could have worked had (s)he been recalled in LAYAVL (Figure C43) and, if not available, you ask the reason not available in LAYAVR (Figure C44).

>LAYAVL<

Could you have returned to work LAST WEEK if you had been recalled?

<1> Yes

<2> No

>LAYAVR<

Why is that?

<1> Own temporary illness

<2> Going to school

<3> Other

===>_

To gain further information on the job market behavior of persons on layoff, you ask whether the person had been looking for work in LAYLK.

>LAYLK<

Even though you expect to be called back to work, have you been looking for work during the last 4 weeks?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

You then ask about the length of time a person has been on layoff. LAYDR1 and LAYDR2 are asked to determine the duration of the layoff. Responses may be in weeks, months, or years. Note that there is a range check in LAYDR2 and the entries cannot be greater than the following:

• LAYDR1 = 1 and LAYDR2 = 99
• LAYDR1 = 2 and LAYDR2 = 24
• LAYDR1 = 3 and LAYDR2 = 2

>LAYDR1<

As of the end of LAST WEEK, how long had you been on layoff?

<1> Weeks

<2> Months

<3> Years

===>_

>LAYDR2< *** DO NOT READ ***

ENTER NUMBER OF WEEKS/MONTHS/YEARS

===>___

You will ask persons reporting a duration of layoff of 1 to 4 months to provide the duration in weeks. (See Figure C47.) The reason for this is that BLS publishes estimates of unemployment duration (mean and median) in weeks. Therefore, the shorter-term unemployed are asked to provide a more precise estimate in weeks to enhance the accuracy of the published estimates.

>LAYDR3<

We would like to have that in weeks, if possible. Exactly how many weeks had you been on layoff?

ENTER NUMBER OF WEEKS

===>___

You do not ask the duration questions of everyone on layoff. Automatic updating will be used in MIS2 through MIS4 and MIS6 through MIS8 when the person was on layoff in both the current and previous months and adequate information was obtained in the previous month.

Finally, persons on layoff are asked about the characteristics of the job to which they are awaiting recall, including industry, occupation, and whether it was full or part time (Figure C48, LAYFT). In the succeeding interviews, dependent interviewing will be used in connection with the I&O series, as long as the person remains on layoff and information adequate for coding has been reported.

>LAYFT<

Is the job from which you are on a layoff a fulltime job of 35 hours or more per week?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

Figure C49 is the first item in the series of questions on "looking".

>LK<

Have you been doing anything to find work during the last 4 weeks?

<1> Yes

<2> No

<3> Retired

<4> Disabled

<5> Unable

===>_

If the answer to LK is yes, it is followed by questions on job search methods, which are designed to "weed out" passive job seekers. Persons will have the opportunity to report all of the job search methods they used. If a person reports passive job search methods only, then (s)he is NOT looking for work, according to the official definition, and is not asked further questions about job search activity. Only one active job search method is needed to be counted as unemployed (assuming availability). This series helps you determine:

• What a person has done to find work
• If they could have taken a job if one were offered
• What they were doing before they started looking for work
• When they last worked
• If they are looking for full or part-time work

The list of precodes in item LKM1 (Figure C50) should cover most common responses. However, it is possible to obtain responses that do not fit any of the categories/precodes discussed below.

Use the "other active" precode if the job search method could result in a job offer without any further action by the jobseeker (e.g., auditioning for directors and producers or bidding on a contract).

Use the "other passive" precode if the job search method could NOT result in a job offer without further action on the part of the jobseeker. These include studying for a real estate broker's license, picking up an application, or completing a resume.

These should be entered as "other passive" in LKM1 (Figure C50) because none of these activities will result in a job unless further actions are taken by the person (e.g., a job applicant would have to complete the application and send it to the employer in order to be considered as "looking for job".)

Use the following criteria when choosing job search categories.

Select <1> contacted employer directly/interview for persons who made direct contact with the employer (including a personnel office) by personal visit, telephone call, or mail. Include contact with an Armed Forces Recruiting Office about joining the military.

>LKM1< What are all of the things you (have/has) done to find work during the last 4 weeks?

DO NOT READ ANSWER CATEGORIES

ACTIVE PASSIVE

<1> Contacted employer

<2> Contacted public employment agency programs/courses

<3> Contacted private employment agency

<4> Contacted friends or relatives

<5> Contacted school/university employment center

<6> Sent out resumes/filled out applications

<7> Checked union/professional registers

<8> Placed or answered ads

<9> Other active

<10> Looked at ads directly/interview

<11> Attended job training

<13> Other passive

<12> Nothing

===>

The person must have talked to a potential employer or to someone in the company's personnel/employment office. Picking up an application without talking to someone about actually getting a job should not be coded as "contacted employer directly".

• Select <2> contacted public employment agency for persons who contacted a public employment agency. These operate at any level of government, Federal, State, or municipal, but are typically referred to as the State Employment Service (Job Service). The individual must have inquired about job opportunities rather than simply about unemployment insurance or job training programs.
• Select <3> contacted private employment agency for persons who contacted an employment agency that gives persons looking for work leads to potential employers and charges a fee for this service. It is sometimes referred to as a recruiting or "headhunting" firm. Do not confuse this with employment offices or personnel offices maintained by the businesses themselves. A private employment agency serves more than one business.
• Select <4> contacted friends or relatives for persons who have asked friends or relatives about potential job leads.
• Select <5> contacted school/university employment center for persons who have contacted a college job placement or employment center.
• Select <6> sent out resumes/filled out applications for persons who sent out information about themselves in the form of a resume or letter or completed and returned an application for a job. DO NOT enter this precode if the person only picked up an application. If there was no conversation with the employer about job opportunities then code as "other passive".
• Select <7> checked union/professional registers for registers for nurses, substitute teachers and others and those maintained by unions.
• Select <8> placed or answered ads for persons who placed or answered ads in the newspaper or elsewhere. Use this precode only if the person has actually placed or answered an ad but NOT if they only looked at ads, read ads, or marked ads in the newspaper. In order to have answered an ad, a person must have contacted a potential employer or a person representing an employer. The distinction between looking at ads and answering ads is very important. Individuals who have only looked at ads are not classified as actively looking for work. Individuals who have placed or answered ads are classified as actively looking for work.
• Select <9> other active for search methods that could result in a job offer without any further action by the specified person (e.g., auditioned for directors or producers; bid on a contract; filled out forms at a temporary help agency.)
• Select <10> looked at ads for persons who read, checked, or marked ads without any other contact with the potential employer listed in the ads.
• Select <11> attended job training programs or courses for persons whose responses relate to private or government sponsored education that the person has attended with the intention of obtaining jobrelated knowledge or skills. Includes responses like "I'm taking a typing course", "going to college to get a better job", etc.
• Select <12> Nothing for actual verbatim responses of "nothing".
• Select <13> other passive for job search methods that could NOT result in a job offer without further action by the specified person (e.g., studying for a real estate broker's license, picking up an application, or completing a resume).

If a respondent provides only passive job search methods, then an additional question (LKPS1, Figure C51) is asked to obtain more information. The precodes are identical to those used in item LKM1 and should be used in the same way.

If a respondent answers "don't know" or "nothing", you ask an additional question (LKDK1) in the hope of obtaining a more useful answer. The precodes are identical to those in LKM1 and are used in the same way.

If you select "other active" or "other passive" in any of the looking methods screens, the instrument will display a specify screen where you should type in the person's response. After you enter the verbatim response, you then return to make additional entries until you enter <N> for no additional answer.

>LKPS1< Can you tell me more about what you did to search for work?

DO NOT READ ANSWER CATEGORIES

ACTIVE PASSIVE

<1> Contacted employer

<2> Contacted public employment agency programs/courses

<3> Contacted private employment agency

<4> Contacted friends or relatives

<5> Contacted school/university employment center

<6> Sent out resumes/filled out applications

<7> Checked union/professional registers

<8> Placed or answered ads

<9> Other active

<10> Looked at ads directly/interview

<11> Attended job training

<12> Nothing

<13> Other passive

<N> No

===>

4.C.4 Availability to Start a Job

In addition to having an active job search, an individual must report that (s)he was available to start a job in the reference week in order to be classified as unemployed. You obtain this information in LKAVL (Figure C52).

>LKAVL<

LAST WEEK, could you have started a job if one had been offered?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

If a person attaches conditions to the type of work or work schedule wanted, this does not affect the person's availability. You should select precode <1> for people who can only work during certain hours, or who want a certain kind of work and were available for that type of work.

You enter duration of looking in the LKDUR1 and LKDUR2 screens. (Figure C53.) These items have a range check. Your entries can not be greater than the following:

• LKDUR1=1 and LKDUR2=99 or
• LKDUR1=2 and LKDUR2=24 or
• LKDUR1=3 and LKDUR2=2

>LKDUR1<

As of the end of LAST WEEK, how long had you been looking for work?

<1> Weeks

<2> Months

<3> Years

===>_

>LKDUR2< ** DO NOT READ **

ENTER NUMBER OF WEEKS/MONTHS/YEARS

<00-99>

===>__

Persons reporting an unemployment duration of 1 to 4 months will be asked to provide the duration in weeks (Figure C54). Since BLS publishes estimates of unemployment duration in weeks, an estimate in weeks is obtained for the shorter-term unemployed whenever possible. This yields more accurate estimates of duration of unemployment.

>LKDUR3<

We would like to have that in weeks if possible. Exactly how many weeks have you been looking for work?

ENTER NUMBER OF WEEKS

===>__

You also ask if (s)he is looking for full-time or part-time work, as shown in Figure C55. Full-time work is 35 hours or more per week. Generally speaking, any job that is usually 35 hours or more per week is considered full time.

>LKFT< Have you been looking for fulltime work of 35 hours or more per week?

<1> Yes

<2> No

<3> Doesn't matter

===>_

Two separate questions (LKLL1 and LKLL2, shown in Figure C56 and C57) are asked to find out why a person began looking for work. LKLL1 asks what the person's major activity was immediately before (s)he started to look.

>LKLL1<

BEFORE you started looking for work, what were you doing: working, going to school or something else?

<1> Working

<2> School

<3> Left military service

<4> Something else

>LKLL1S< ENTER VERBATIM RESPONSE

_________________________

_________________________

If the person was working just prior to the current job search, we are interested in how (s)he was separated from the previous job, that is if the person lost or quit the job, or had a temporary job that ended.

>LKLL2<

Did you lose or quit that job, or was it a temporary job that ended?

<1> Lost job

<2> Quit job

<3> Temporary job ended

1) Lost Job

Persons whose employment ended involuntarily, for example, discharged for cause (fired), plant closed, company moved, reduction in staff, job ended, or forced to retire.

2) Quit Job

Persons who voluntarily ended their employment; include people who quit their jobs or retired from their jobs.

3) Temporary Job

Persons who had a temporary job that ended. These persons neither quit or lost their jobs because these jobs were never intended to be longterm.

Persons who respond that they were unavailable for work last week are asked why they were unavailable. Following is a brief description of the response categories:

Temporary illness

Although it is not necessary to probe, if you learn that the illness is expected to last more than 30 days from the time of interview, enter "Other" and the verbatim response.

Note that the person must have been ill. If (s)he was unavailable for work because he/she was caring for someone else, enter the "Other" precode and the verbatim response.

Going to school

Persons who could not have started or taken a job in the previous week because they were in school. Include all types of public and private educational institutions both in and out of the regular school system, such as high school, college, business, or vocational school.

Other

Use this if none of the above precodes are appropriate. Examples of "other" reasons are:

• Did not have transportation
• Couldn't find a babysitter
• Had to care for a sick family member
• Longterm illness

Persons not working or looking for work are asked a series of questions related to their desire and availability for work, how recently they have worked or looked for work, and their plans to look for work.

NILF persons are asked whether they currently want a job.

>DWWNT<

Do you currently want a job, either full or part time?

<1> Yes, or maybe, it depends

<2> No

<3> Retired

<4> Disabled

<5> Unable

===>_

The responses "yes," or "maybe, it depends" are grouped into a single precode.

You then ask persons who indicate that they do want a job the main reason they were not looking for work in the past 4 weeks in DWRSN, Figure C59. You enter the main reason a person is not looking for work now, during the interview week. Remember, these are persons who say they want to work. Thus, an answer such as "retired" would be unsatisfactory--it might explain why they are not currently working, not why they are not looking for work. An appropriate answer might be their own poor health, transportation problems, or that work would reduce their pension.

>DWRSN<

What is the main reason you were not looking for work during the LAST 4 WEEKS?

DO NOT READ LIST

<1> Believes no work available in line of work or area

<2> Couldn't find any work

<3> Lacks necessary schooling, training, skills or experience

<4> Employers think too young or too old

<5> Other types of discrimination

<6> Child care problems

<7> Family responsibilities

<8> In school or other training

<9> Illhealth, physical disability

<10> Transportation problems

<11> Other

===>__

Categories 1-5 in DWRSN are job-market related. An entry of 1-5 will result in an individual being classified as a "discouraged worker" if (s)he also looked for work in the last 12 months and was available for work (see questions below).

Table C5 provides guidelines for selecting the different reasons for not looking for work.

   Guidelines for Selecting "Reasons For Not Looking For Work" 

1) Believes no work   Persons who believe there is no work available in their
available in line     community or in their occupation.  Includes: "no work
of work or area       around here", "no jobs since mill closed", "no jobs for
                      machinists here", etc.

2) Couldn't find any  Persons who have searched and were unable to find work.
work                  Include persons who attach a condition, such as "I
                      couldn't find a job that used my college degree."

3) Lacks necessary    Persons not looking because of illiteracy or inability
   schooling,         to speak English or because they lack knowledge about
training, skills,     how to find a job, or feel they do not have the proper
   or experience      training to meet job qualifications.

4) Employers think    Persons who say work is not available to them because of
too young             age.
or too old
                      Includes: persons too young to obtain a work permit,
                      persons who say "nobody will hire a 70-year-old man",
                      and persons informed by prospective employers that no
                      job is available to them because of their age (e.g.
                      "while your qualifications are good, the position
                      requires someone a little older or more mature").

5) Other types of     Excluding reasons covered by other precodes (e.g.,
 Discrimination       discrimination on the basis of age), include here
                      responses related to racial or sex discrimination, or a
                      criminal or delinquency record.

6) Child care         Reasons related to affordable, available, or adequate
  problems            child care.

7) Family             Reasons related to illness in family, care for an
responsibilities      elderly parent, etc.

8) In school or       Reasons related to attendance at any kind of public or
other training        private school, including college, vocational or trade
                      school.

9) Ill health         Reasons related to the person's OWN illness or
 or Physical          disability.
 disability

10) Transportation    Reasons related to not being able to look for work
problems              because (s)he was unable to find transportation.

11) Other (specify)   Classify responses in one of the above if at all
                      possible.  An acceptable "other" example is, "too
                      young-his father wouldn't let him".

Persons who are not in the labor force but want a job are also asked a series of questions designed to measure how closely attached they are to the job market. (See Figures C60-C61.) Responses to these questions are used, along with those on job desire and reason for not looking for work, to identify "discouraged workers," as described in Part B chapter 3.

>DWLK<

Did you look for work at any time during the last 12 months?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

>DWWK<

Did you actually WORK at a job or business during the last 12 months?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

>DW4WK<

Did you do any of this work during the last 4 weeks?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

>DWLKWK<

And since you LEFT that job or business have you looked for work?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

>DWAVL<

LAST WEEK, could you have started a job if one had been offered?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

Attaching conditions to the kind of work wanted does NOT make the person unavailable. For instance, people who can only work certain hours, or who want a certain kind of work, WERE available for that kind of work if nothing else interfered.

You ask persons who are not in the labor force in the outgoing rotation groups (MIS 4 and 8) several questions on recent work activity and job seeking intentions beginning with JHWK.

>JHWK<

Have you worked at a job or business at any time during the past 12 months?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

>JHDP1<

Did you do any of this work during the last 4 weeks?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

>JHRSN<

What is the main reason you left your last job?

<1> Personal, family (including pregnancy)

<2> Return to school

<3> Health

<4> Retirement or old age

<5> Temporary, seasonal or intermittent job completed

<6> Slack work or business conditions

<7> Unsatisfactory work arrangements (hours, pay, etc.)

<8> Other (specify)

===>_

As with the reasons for not looking for work, described in 4.D.2, persons can have either personal or job-market reasons for leaving their last job. Table C6 discusses the entries to this question.

 Guidelines for Selecting Reasons for Leaving Last Job  

Personal, family           Examples include birth of a child, moved,
(including pregnancy)      vacation, marriage, illness in family, child care
                           etc.

Return to school           For example, include left last job to return to
                           school.

Health                     Examples include person's own illness or
                           disability, job was too physically taxing.

Retirement or old age      This can be either voluntary or forced.  Examples
                           include "too old to work any more", "retired for
                           health".

Temporary, seasonal, or    For a job that lasts only part of the year.  For
intermittent job           example, crop season ended, Christmas job ended,
completed                  temporary job ended, substitute teaching job over.
                            This category can be sometimes confused with
                           "slack work or business conditions" and it is,
                           therefore, important to distinguish carefully
                           between them.

Slack work or business     The person's work is no longer available.
conditions                 Examples include job eliminated, business sold,
                           bankruptcy etc.

Unsatisfactory work        Person left because they were dissatisfied.
arrangements (hours, pay,  Examples include long hours, low pay, couldn't get
etc.)                      along with supervisor, etc.

Other                      This category is for any responses not covered
                           above including discharge from Armed Forces and
                           "tired of working".

>JHWANT<

Do you intend to look for work during the next 12 months?

<1> Yes, or it depends

<2> No

===>_

You ask persons who worked within the last 12 months about the class of worker, industry, and occupation of their most recent job. This information allows for more detailed analysis of persons who have recently left the labor force, such as the retired.

The information on job seeking intentions is useful in assessing the "potential labor force".

Three questions at the end of the interview collect information from persons who are not in the labor force and did not receive the job history series of questions.

Persons who indicate at the beginning of the interview that they are either retired or disabled, and are in MIS-4 or MIS-8 are asked when they last worked. (NLFJH, Figure C69.)

>NLFJH<

When did you last work at a job or business?

<1> Within last 12 months

<2> More than 12 months ago

<3> Never worked

===>_

You ask those who had worked within the last 12 months questions about the class of worker, occupation, and industry of that job.

You also ask persons who are age 50 and over who indicated that they did not want a job whether they consider themselves to be retired.

>NLFRET<

Are you retired FROM A JOB OR BUSINESS?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

You then ask persons who provide a response other than yes to describe their current status. (NLFACT, Figure C71.)

>NLFACT<

What best describes your situation at this time? For example, are you disabled, ill, in school, taking care of house or family, or something else?

<1> Disabled

<2> Ill

<3> In school

<4> Taking care of house or family

<5> In retirement

<6> Something else/other

===>_

Persons not in the labor force age 14-49 who say they do not want a job are only asked this last question.

The industry and occupation questions determine where a person works, what type of business it is, and what they do on that job. The instrument will set each person's "Class of Worker" based mostly on your entry in IO1INT, shown in Figure C72.

If the response given to IO1INT is "government", a follow-up question requests information on the appropriate level of government (i.e., federal, state, or local).

>IO1INT<

Now I have a few questions about the job at which you worked LAST WEEK.

Were you employed by government, by a private company, a non-profit organization, or were you self employed (or working in the family business)?

<1> Government

<2> Private for profit company

<3> Nonprofit organization including tax exempt and charitable organizations

<4> Self employed

<5> Working in the family business

===>_

FEDERAL Government employee

This category includes employees of any branch of the federal government, including persons elected to paid federal offices, civilian employees of the Armed Forces, and most full-time members of the National Guard. Also include employees of international organizations (e.g., United Nations) and employees of foreign governments, such as persons employed by foreign embassies, as federal employees.

STATE Government employee

This category includes employees of state governments, such as paid state officials, state police, some full-time members of the National Guard (primarily building maintenance staff), and employees of state universities and colleges.

LOCAL government employee

This category includes employees of cities, towns, counties, and other local government jurisdictions. Include here employees of city-owned bus lines, electric power companies, water and sewer service agencies, etc. Some local agencies provide services to more than one county or city; some agencies may even cross state lines. Examples of these agencies are: metropolitan transportation authorities or boards, port authorities, and water and sanitation facilities.

Employees of public elementary and secondary schools typically work for local governments. Since state boards of education often control the subject content of primary and secondary schools, some persons may consider school employees as state employees. Unless they work for a special school for the handicapped or for an experimental elementary school of the state university, they are in almost all cases local government employees. There are a few known exceptions: In Hawaii all public schools are state-operated. In Alaska and Maine some schools are state operated.

Include all employees of the Washington, DC government as local government employees.

If there is a question as to which level of government a person works for, ask for the level of the agency that issues his/her paycheck.

Employee of a PRIVATE for profit company

This category includes all persons who work for a private for profit employer, including those working for companies, small or large businesses, or for private households. This applies regardless of the employee's occupation. This category includes companies that INTENDED to make a profit, even if they happened to lose money recently.

Employee of a nonprofit organization including tax exempt and charitable organizations

Include churches, unions or associations, foundations and other private NONPROFIT organizations in this category.

Self Employed

Persons who work for profit or fees in their OWN business, shop, office, farm, etc., are asked a follow-up question on whether the business is incorporated.

Working in a Family Business

If the person works in a family business, a follow-up question will request information as to whether the person is working for pay.

Corporation employees

Report employees of a corporation as employees of a private employer.

Please note there are a few cases of employees of government corporations, such as the Commodity Credit Corporation, who must be properly reported as Federal government employees.

If a person is self-employed and you learn that the business is incorporated, do not change the answer from self-employed to private company.

Domestic work in other person's homes

Report gardeners, launderers, cooks, or cleaning persons working in another person's home as working for a private employer. Do not record a domestic worker as self-employed unless he/she owns the business that provides the service.

Partnerships

Report two or more persons who operate a business in partnership as self-employed in own business. The word "own" is not limited to one person.

Public utility employees

Although public utilities (such as transportation, communication, electric light and power, gas, water, garbage collection, and sewage disposal facilities) are subject to government regulations, they may be owned by either government or private organizations. Distinguish between government-operated and privately-owned organizations in recording class of worker for public utility employees.

Work for pay "in kind"

Pay "in kind" includes room, board, supplies, and food (e.g., fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy products). This is considered pay for individuals other than family members. Report persons who work for pay "in kind" as employees of a private company or individual.

Work on an odd-job or casual basis

Report work on an odd-job or casual basis as work for a private company, business, or individual. For example, report a baby sitter employed in another person's household as working for a private for profit company.

Clergy

Most clergy file income taxes as if they were self-employed, but they are considered employees of their churches or temples. Include preachers, ministers, priests, rabbis, and other clergy as working for a Non-profit organization except for the following two cases:

(1) Prison chaplains working in a government job (e.g., State of Maryland Prison System), are government employees.

(2) Clergy not attached to a particular congregation or church organization, who conduct religious services in various places on a fee basis, are self-employed in own professional practice.

Registered and practical nurses-private duty

Report registered nurses and practical nurses who report "private duty" for kind of business as self-employed. These nurses usually obtain their assignments from a nurses' registry, but are not employees of the registry. Note that a nurse who reports "employment agency," "temporary help supply services," or a similar description for kind of business, and "private duty" as most important activity, is an employee of the employment agency or service and should be marked as working for a private company.

PX (Post exchange) and other non-appropriated fund employees

Non-appropriated funds (NAF) are funds for government employees that are not from Congressionally appropriated money bills. The funds usually are generated from retail activities on government installations, such as PX's, commissaries, snack bars or service stations. However, persons paid from non-appropriated funds are still considered employees of the government. For example, report persons working at a post exchange (base exchange, etc.) as employees of the federal government. This nonprofit organization is controlled by government officials in their official capacity.

In contrast, report persons working in an officers' club, Non Commissioned Officers (NCO) club, or similar organization, which is usually located on a government reservation, as an employee of a private not for profit company. Such organizations are controlled by private individuals elected by some form of membership.

Child careChild care including foster parents

WHERE a person works is important in determining the correct class of worker for child care workers. Persons who care for children in the child's (that is the parent's) home are private for profit employees. This includes a babysitter for an evening or a person regularly working during the day. One of the private categories is also correct for those who work in day care centers and other non-government institutional settings. The institution may be either for profit or not for profit. A person who cares for children in the caregiver's home is self employed. This includes foster parents who receive a fee for caring for children. See more on this topic under Industry in this chapter.

Boarding housekeepers

Report boarding housekeepers who consider themselves as working and who perform this work in their own homes as "own home" for industry and as "self-employed" for class of worker. Report those who do this work for someone else for wages, salary, or pay in kind as "boarding house" for industry and as "Private, for profit company" for class of worker.

Sales or merchandise employees (Tupperware, Avon, Mary Kay, Amway, and others)

Report persons who own a sales franchise and are responsible for their own merchandise and personnel as "retail or wholesale sales" for industry and as self-employed for class of worker. People who sell Avon and Tupperware products are not considered employees of those companies; they are to be classified as self-employed. Refer to page B11 ("Business Defined") for determining whether or not a business exists. Report persons who do sales work for someone else as an employee of a private company. Also, indicate whether they sell door-to-door or use some other method.

Real estate agents and brokers

Real estate agents are considered as employees of a private company because they must work for a licensed broker. They cannot be self-employed. A broker, on the other hand, can either be working for a private company or self-employed.

Postal Service and TVA employees

Persons who work for the U.S. Postal Service (Post Office) and the Tennessee Valley Authority are Federal employees.

COMSAT, Amtrak and Conrail

COMSAT, Amtrak, and Conrail are private companies.

Public Transportation, airport, housing, and other authorities

Persons who work for public authorities, such as the Chicago Transportation Authority or the New York Port Authority, who get their money from a combination of state or local funds and user fees, are local government employees.

Armed Forces

Persons whose last full-time job was in the Armed Forces are Federal employees.

Tribal government or tribal councils

Persons who work for tribal governments or tribal councils are employees of a local government.

Enter a clear and specific name of the employer. Type the full and exact name of the company or business (IO1NMP shown in Figure C73). Do not abbreviate unless the companies are nationally known such as IBM. Give the name of the company, not the name of the supervisor, foreman or owner.

>IO1NMP<

What is the name of the company (or Non-profit organization) for which you work?

DO NOT READ:

(name of company, business, organization or other employer)

===>____________________________

____________________________

If the respondent says the information is classified do not probe. In this situation enter "information classified."

Selfemployed; family farm or business

If the person is selfemployed, the question will be worded to ask for the name of the business as shown in Figure C74. If there is no business name, enter "selfemployed", or "family farm", or whatever is appropriate.

>IO1NMB<

What is the name of the business for which you worked?

===>_____________________________

_____________________________

Government

The instrument will prompt you for the name of the specific government agency. (Figure C75.) Government agency abbreviations may be used, if they are commonly known, such as CIA, FBI. When in doubt, spell out the full name of the government agency.

>IO1NMG<

What is the name of the government agency for which you work?

===>____________________________

____________________________

Odd job and domestic workers

Enter "various employers" for persons who work for several different employers, but who are NOT selfemployed (e.g., maids, cooks, chauffeurs, gardeners, babysitters).

Armed Forces (current civilian employees only)

Current members of the military are not eligible for the labor force questions, so "Armed Forces" is an acceptable entry for civilian employees only.

Armed Forces member: last job

For persons whose last job was as a member of the Armed Forces, enter "Armed Forces" in the employer name, industry, and occupation fields.

After entering the name of the company you will need to determine the type of business or industry. See Figure C76.

>IO1IND<

What kind of business or industry is this?

READ IF NECESSARY:

What do they make or do where you (worked/work)

===>______________________________

______________________________

Enter a clear and specific description of the kind of business or industry. For example, the following descriptions are too general: "works in a mine," "works for a repair service," "works with computers."

In contrast, the following examples are more specific: "works in a copper mine," "works for a shoe repair service," "works for a company that writes computer software packages."

Child care facilities

As mentioned under class of worker, it is important to know the location where child care is provided to properly classify the industry. "Child care in home of employer" is one industry; "Care for children in my own home" describes another and "Child care center," "Day care center," and "Church day nursery" are examples of the third child care industry, located in centers rather than homes.

Government organizations

The names of government organizations are often not descriptive of their business or activity. Be sure that the entry describes exactly what the activity is. For example, the kind of industry for an entry of "County Highway Commission" in IO1NMG might be one or any combination of the following: "Road building," "Road repair," "Contracting for road building (repair)." For a County Liquor Control Board, the correct entry might be "Licensing liquor sales" or "Liquor retailer."

IO1MFG will automatically come up after the kind of business question. (Figure C77.) Ask the question if the answer is not apparent.

>IO1MFG< ASK IF NECESSARY:

Is this business or organization mainly manufacturing, retail trade, wholesale trade, or something else?

<1> Manufacturing

<2> Retail trade

<3> Wholesale trade

<4> Something else

• A manufacturing plant makes products and sells them in large lots to other manufacturers, wholesalers, or retailers.
• A retailer sells primarily to individual consumers or users but seldom makes products.
• A wholesale establishment buys, rather than makes, products in large quantities for resale to retailers, industrial users, or to other wholesalers.

Other establishments should be classified as "something else". Examples are hotels, laundries, banks, telephone companies, doctors' offices, mines, farms, advertising agencies, and automobile repair shops.

Some firms are engaged in more than one business or industrial activity. If the activities are carried on in separate places, describe the business in which the person actually works. If the activities are carried on in the same place, describe the major activity of the firm.

EXAMPLE: Report a miner working in a coal mine operated by a major steel corporation as working in a "coal mine," not a steel mill.

EXAMPLE: A factory that manufactures shoes also manufactures purses. Since shoes account for most of the production, all employees of the factory, including those working on purses, should be classified as working for a "shoe factory".

EXAMPLE: This same shoe/purse factory also has a small retail outlet on the premises. Persons working in this outlet should also be classified as working in a "shoe factory" as shoe manufacturing is the firm's main business.

A few specified activities, when carried on at separate locations, are exceptions to the above. When research laboratories, warehouses, repair shops, and storage garages exist primarily to serve their own parent organizations rather than the public or other organizations, report the activity of the parent organization. For example, if the retail department store has a separate warehouse for its use, report the industry of the warehouse workers as "retail trade" rather than "something else."

>IO1OCC<

What kind of work do you do, that is, what is your occupation?

(For example: plumber, typist, farmer)

===>____________________________

____________________________

Occupation of the self-employed

When a person is selfemployed, do not enter "manager" as the occupation UNLESS the person actually spends most of his/her time in the management of the business. If the person spends most of the time in actual trade or craft of the business, enter that as the occupation (e.g., beautician, dentist, house painter, plumber).

Avoid occupation entries that describe departments or places of work

The occupation entry should describe what the specified person does (e.g., shipping department supervisor, inventory clerk). Occupation entries which give only the name of a department or a place of work (e.g., "works in shipping department", "works in the warehouse", "works in inventory") should be avoided.

Apprentice vs. trainee

An apprentice is under contract during his/her training period, but a trainee is not. Include both the occupation and the word "apprentice" or "trainee" in the description (e.g., apprentice plumber, buyer trainee).

Machinist vs. Machine operator vs. mechanic

A machinist is a skilled craftsman who constructs metal parts, tools, and machines through the use of blueprints, machine and hand tools, and precise measuring instruments. A machine operator runs a factory machine (e.g., drill press operator, winder). A mechanic inspects, services, repairs, or overhauls machinery.

Secretary vs. "Official Secretary"

Use the title "secretary" for someone who does secretarial work in an office; and report a secretary who is an elected or appointed officer of a business, union, or other organization as an "official secretary."

For some occupations the descriptions given by the respondents are not sufficient for coding purposes. In these cases use the suggested probes in Table C7 to obtain more detailed information.

                Difficult to Code Occupations 

   Occupation                          Suggested probe 

Assembler         What do you assemble (e.g., automobiles, electric motors,
                  farm equipment, sheet metal)?

Clerk             What type of clerk are you (e.g., accounting, billing,
                  filing, shipping, statistical, sales)?

Engineer          What kind of engineer are you (e.g., civil, electrical,
                  mechanical, nuclear, chemical, train, stationary,
                  building)?

Inspector         What type of things do you inspect (e.g., autos,
                  restaurants, houses, buildings, meats)?

Manager           What type of manager are you (e.g., bakery, garage,
                  hotel, office, property, store)?

Machinist         Do you set up AND operate machines?

Machine operator  How many machines do you operate?  What type of machine
                  do you operate the most?

Mechanic          What type of mechanic are you (e.g., auto body, auto
                  engine, appliance, line, truck, valve)?

Nurse             What type of nurse are you (registered, licensed,
                  practical, nursing aide, vocational)?

Researcher        What field of research are you in?

Sales Worker      What do you sell (e.g., advertising, cars, houses,
                  insurance, shoes, tickets)?

Supervisor        Who or what do you supervise (e.g., clerical workers,
                  counselors, laborers, field representatives)?

Teacher           Do you teach at the preschool, elementary, high school,
                  or college level?  What subject do you teach?

The following are guidelines for unusual cases of job or business.

Military jobs

If, after starting the labor force questions, you discover that the person is a member of the Armed Forces, delete as much of his/her labor force information as possible and use SHIFT F1 to go back to the CHANGE screen and change his/her Armed Forces status. Also report Armed Forces membership in your I-notes.

Only include military jobs for individuals who are currently working as a civilian in the U.S. Armed Forces.

For persons who are not working or who are absent from their jobs, an Armed Forces job may be entered in the I&O series of questions if it was their last full-time job. If this is the case, simply enter "ARMED FORCES".

Consultants, contractors

Persons who report that they do not have a business but who contract out as consultants or provide other services for a fee would be reported as self-employed. This guideline does not apply to consultants who work for a consulting firm; they work for a private company and should be classified as employed in either a private for profit company or a private nonprofit organization.

Persons working for employment contractors

Consider persons who are working through an employment contractor as working for the contractor, not the individual employer to whom they are assigned.

Note, however, that a union hiring list or a register is not an employer; they are not employment contractors. They are more like employment agencies. In these cases, the employer is the person or company that writes the paycheck.

>IO1DT<

What are your usual activities or duties at this job?

(For example: typing, keeping account books, filing, selling cars, operating printing press, laying brick.)

===>_____________________________

_____________________________

===>_____________________________

_____________________________

The answer to this item should tell you clearly and specifically what kind of work or duties the person performs. If the respondent says the information is classified, do not probe. In this situation enter "information classified."

Use verbs that end with "ing" to describe the person's activities. For example, if the respondent says (s)he sells cars, you should enter "selling cars." This will make the dependent interviewing question on usual activities easier to read next month.

As discussed in Part B, the I&O series uses dependent interviewing, that is, when possible, information supplied during a previous month's interview is used in the current interview. In most cases, you will have access to the previous month's I&O information and will ask if there have been any changes. If none, the information previously collected is simply confirmed. Dependent interviewing is used in MIS2 through MIS4 and MIS6 through MIS8 for persons who were employed in both the current and previous months and for whom information adequate for coding was previously provided.

There will be some returning cases, in which you collected industry and occupation data the previous month, that you do not ask dependent industry and occupation questions. If the coders in Jeffersonville could not code the item(s) for any reason, you will need to ask the questions again the following month. These uncodeable entries are called referrals. Dependent questions will not appear for any referred Industry and/or Occupation. Each month your Regional Office sends you a list of referred cases. Please review this list and discuss any referrals that you do not understand with your supervisor.

For returning cases that were referred the previous month, a note appears on the IO1IND screen. The note states, "This case was referred last month. Please provide more specific information for the coders." This note appears only if the information you provided the previous month was inadequate for the coders to code the industry or occupation entries. The note will also appear on the IO1OCC and I01DT screens if those items are referred.

The instrument will display two questions about paid employees only in months in sample 4 and 8. You will ask these items for persons who, in their main or second job, work in a business of their own that is not incorporated.

The items ask if the business owner has any paid employees and, if so, how many. These items are illustrated in Figure C80.

>PDEMP1< Previously it was reported that you were self-employed (or worked in the family business). Do you usually have any paid employees?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>

>NMEMP1< Excluding all owners, how many paid employees does (your/name's) business usually have?

===>

{NOTE: The names for items on paid employees will be PDEMP1 and NMEMP1 for the main job and PDEMP2 and NMEMP2 for the second job.}

The unincorporated business owners for whom you would have to ask the "paid employees" questions in months in sample 4 and 8 will have been identified, for the most part, in a previous month's interview. That is why, in general, the "paid employees" items for the main job will appear after the dependent interview question (IODP3).

If a person is an unincorporated business owner in his/her second job, you will ask the "paid employees" items for the second job immediately after you collect his/her class of worker data (IO2INT and IO2INC). Information about a person's second job is collected only in months in sample 4 and 8.

Note that, for persons "working in the family business," the instrument will display the "paid employees" items only if they were reported as business owners (in BUSLST).

You ask the earnings and union membership questions of households in the outgoing rotation groups (MIS-4 and MIS-8) of all wage and salary workers and the incorporated self-employed. These questions are used primarily to determine usual weekly earnings at the main job and whether the person is covered by a union or employee association.

You begin this series of questions with ERNPR, which asks for the easiest way for the respondent to report earnings for the specified person's MAIN JOB (i.e., hourly, weekly, annually, or on some other basis, See Figure C80). The instrument then tailors the earnings questions based on that response.

>ERNPR<

For your job, what is the easiest way for you to report your total earnings BEFORE taxes or other deductions: hourly, weekly, annually, or on some other basis?

READ IF NECESSARY:

We use this information to compare the amount that people earn in different types of jobs.

<1> Hourly

<2> Weekly

<3> Biweekly

<4> Twice monthly

<5> Monthly

<6> Annually

<7> Other (specify)

===>_

You then ask whether the specified person usually receives overtime pay, tips, or commissions on his/her main job (ERNUOT).

For a "yes" response, the person should receive overtime pay, tips, or commissions on a USUAL basis, that is, 50 percent of the time or more. If (s)he receives them only occasionally, you would enter "no."

>ERNUOT<

Do you usually receive overtime pay,tips, or commissions at your MAIN job?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

This question is followed by a check item directing the interviewer to ask different sets of questions depending on the answer to the easiest periodicity to report earnings. For those whose periodicity is hourly, there is a separate question for overtime, tips, or commissions usually received.

You ask questions to determine how much persons for whom it is easiest to report earnings on an hourly basis earn per hour and then ask how many hours per week that person usually works at that rate. With this information, hourly earnings can be converted to weekly earnings. (Figure C82 and C83.)

>ERNHRT<

(EXCLUDING overtime pay, tips and commissions) What is your hourly rate of pay on (your MAIN/this) job?

ENTER DOLLAR AMOUNT

<D> Don't know

<R> Refused

$__.__

Record the number of hours usually worked per week as a whole number. Count 30 minutes or more as a whole hour. (Figure C83.)

>ERNHR<

How many hours do you usually work per week at this rate?

ENTER NUMBER OF HOURS

<01-99>

===>__

Try to get an average number of hours worked per week for a person whose schedule varies from week to week.

For these workers, we are looking for an hourly rate of pay as stated by the employer, expressed precisely in dollars and cents. Do not round hourly earnings.

If the respondent reports a value that is a multiple of $.50 (for example, $5.00 or $7.50 per hour), ask if this is an exact value. If it isn't, try to obtain a more precise figure. If the respondent does not know the exact amount, enter the amount the respondent stated.

There are some workers who are paid hourly rates but for whom it is easiest to report some other periodicity. For these workers, the hourly rate of pay is collected before proceeding to the next section. (See Figure C84.) This rate of pay should be entered to the nearest cent. (See Figure C85.)

>ERNRT<

Even though you told me it is easier to report your earnings (weekly/biweekly/ monthly/annually,) are you PAID AT AN HOURLY RATE on your MAIN job?

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

>ERNH2<

(EXCLUDING overtime pay, tips and commissions,) What is your hourly rate of pay on this (your MAIN) job?

ENTER DOLLAR AMOUNT

===>$__.__

As noted above, you collect earnings amounts based on the periodicity reported in ERNPR. If the respondent answers "on some other basis" to ERNPR, probe for a description. If the respondent's answer still does not match any listed, choose "other" and specify the description in your notes.

If the respondent reports a method of pay such as salary plus commissions, you should explain that the question is asking for the time period that is most convenient for reporting earnings, not the way in which the person is paid. (You collect method of pay in other earnings questions). Try to get the person to pick a rate-of-pay time frame (e.g., hourly, weekly, annually), if one is convenient, before entering "don't know" or "refused".

Round nonhourly earnings to the nearest whole dollar. If the respondent reports 50 cents or more beyond a whole dollar, round up to the next largest whole dollar. Otherwise, round down to the whole dollar.

If the respondent reports a value that is a multiple of $50 (for example, $100 per day or $250 a week) ask if this is an exact value. If it isn't, try to obtain a more precise figure. If the respondent does not know the exact amount, enter the amount the respondent stated. Use Table C8 to help you determine which types of income to include as earnings.

There are range edits/checks for the following earnings items: ERNWK, ERNMON, ERNANN. If you enter an earnings amount in one of these items that falls outside the limits of the range check/edit, you will be prompted to check the correctness of the original entry.

Also, all of the individual earnings items listed above are followed by ERNVER which verifies the correctness of the total earnings information for the specified person.

The questions on earnings refer to USUAL earnings. In cases where the respondent states that earnings are not the same from week to week (or month to month, etc.), you should ask what the earnings are 50 percent of the time or more. If the respondent is unable to answer, ask for the most frequent earnings amount during the past 4 or 5 months. For annual earnings that have varied from year to year, use the annual rate for the current year. Respondents who are new to their job should report their expected earnings for the current time frame.

                Include Income as Earnings?

Piece-ratePiece-rate   Pay received at a specified amount
per piece is important in many manufacturing and
agricultural jobs, such as food-packaging, garment-making,     	YES
and crop harvesting. This amount may vary from week to
week, so try to obtain what is usually earned.

College assistants & fellowshipsCollege assistants Include
earnings from these sources provided that the job              	YES
& fellowships  associated with such earnings is the
person's main job.

On-the-job trainingOn-the-job   Include earnings from a
private or training government                                 	YES
training   organization for on-the-job training at the
person's main job.

Pay in kindPay in kind  Do not include the value of such
things as food or lodging that are received as payment for
work completed.  In some cases, persons are paid entirely                 NO
"in kind".  This is one case where earnings are correctly
entered as zero.

Expense accountExpense account Do not include money paid
to an employee's account for the purpose of meeting                       NO
expenses incurred while carrying out his/her job.

You ask union membership and coverage questions of civilian household members 15 years of age or over in outgoing rotation groups, who are currently employed wage and salary workers in a private industry (IO1INT) or in any level of the Government.

ERNLAB asks about labor union or similar association membership on the main job. (Figure C86.) Select "yes" if the person is a member of a labor union or an association which serves as a collective bargaining representative. Associations which engage in all of the activities performed by unions, but are not identified as such, can be categorized as follows:

1. Professional associations, such as the National Education Association, American Nurses Association, American Association of University Professors.
2. Government employee associations at the national, state, or local levels, such as the Alabama State Employees Association, Police Benevolent Association (New York City), Boston Public Library Professional Staff Association.

Exclude fraternal and civic associations, such as the Lions Club, etc. who do not bargain collectively on behalf of their members.

If the respondent replies to this item that (s)he or a member of his/her household belongs to an association that you are not sure can be considered as a union or similar organization, probe by asking, "Does this association engage in collective bargaining on behalf of its members?"

Note that the object of this question is to determine union membership in relation to the person's main job during survey week. If a person held more than one job during survey week and was a member of a union on his/her second job only, select "No".

>ERNLAB<

On this job, are you a member of a labor union or of an employee association similar to a union?

<1> Yes

<2> No

You ask ERNCOV (Figure C87) of persons who answer "no" to ERNLAB. This question determines if wages, working conditions, and/or benefits are covered by a contract negotiated between his/her employer and a union or employee association. This question is intended to cover persons who are not actually members of a union or another collective bargaining association, but who benefit by the contracts negotiated by such associations.

The same criteria you use in the previous question to determine if an organization is a union or similar employee association applies to this question.

>ERNCOV<

On this job, are you covered by a union or employee association contract?

<1> Yes

<2> No

Persons between the ages of 16 and 24 are asked a short series of questions each month about their school enrollment status. This information is used to get a picture of trends in school enrollment and to compare the employment and unemployment status of students with the status of youth who are not in school.

You will ask whether they are enrolled in school (Figure C89). If they are, you will ask for the type of school, and whether they are full or part time students.

>SCHENR<

LAST WEEK, were you enrolled in a high school, college, or university?

ENTER 1 IF CURRENTLY ON HOLIDAY OR SEASONAL VACATION.

ENTER 2 FOR SUMMER VACATION.

<1> Yes

<2> No

===>_

Schools are defined here as institutions, both public and private, which confer academic degrees. Academic degrees include high school diploma, A.A., B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., Ph.D., M.D., LL.B., D.D.M. Schools include junior and senior high schools, community or junior colleges, 4-year colleges, universities, and professional and graduate schools. Count any attendance at these schools, even if the person is not working on a degree. Count attendance at all high schools, whether vocational or academic.

Mark <1> Yes for:

• Either full-time or part-time enrollment.
• Persons who are currently on a school break such as Christmas or Easter (not counting summer break).
• Persons with physical or mental handicaps who are enrolled in special schools for academic work leading to a degree or diploma.
• Persons who are currently enrolled in school but for some reason, such as illness, are temporarily not attending school.
• Persons serving an internship or work/study co-op program for college credit.
• Persons enrolled in summer school or evening courses, provided that credit for the courses can be used toward a high school diploma or college degree.

Mark <2> No for:

• Persons who are on summer vacation.
• Persons enrolled in trade, business, or vocational schools or courses (including secretarial, real estate, cosmetology, and driver training) that could not be applied toward an academic degree.
• Persons enrolled in other non-credit programs such as adult education, on-the-job training, or sports lessons, or who are auditing a class.
• Handicapped persons in special schools which are only custodial or provide technical training.
• Persons getting instruction only from a tutor, or from a correspondence school.
• Persons who have officially left school for the remainder of the term.
• Persons serving internships or residences at a hospital to qualify as an M.D. or a specialist.
• For those who respond "Yes", you will ask if the person attends a high school or university.

>SCHLVL< ASK ONLY IF NECESSARY

Would that be high school, college or university?

<1> High school

<2> College or university

===>_

For a response of "junior high school," enter "high school."

>SCHFT<

Are you enrolled in school as a fulltime or parttime student?

<1> Fulltime

<2> Parttime

===>_

For persons in high school accept the response provided by the respondent. Some high schools have work/study programs in which students attend classes half the day and work the other half. Some people consider this to be part-time attendance while others consider this full-time. Enter the response as given.

For persons in college or university, full time is defined as 12 or more credit hours (or the equivalent) of undergraduate classes, or 9 or more credit hours (or the equivalent) of graduate classes. Part-time is defined as anything less than the full-time workload. These credit hour cutoffs apply to colleges on either a semester or quarter system.

In schools where enrollment is not measured in terms of credit hours, accept the respondent's answer.