WLS Codebooks

Note: Codebooks contain frequency data from the private data release. For some variables, these differ from the frequencies in the public release. Variables that differ between the public and private versions include "(not available on public release)" as part of the variable description, or a note indicating the difference between the public and private versions.

In Person: Employment

JEMPL  Employment Module

OVERVIEW

The 2011 Employment Module generally replicates its predecessor from the 2004
collection wave (for graduate participants only). As in 2004, participants were
asked to report on up to two jobs in each of up to eight distinct employer job
spells they had maintained since last being interviewed (2004 for the great
majority of them and 1993 for those who did not participate in 2004, with no
attempt made to interview participants from whom data were last collected prior
to 1993). Participants were asked to provide updates on their employment
histories as follows:

     Participants who were employed when last interviewed were asked to 
     confirm that they indeed worked for the employer on record at the 
     time of their last interview. If they confirmed as much, some of 
     the information about their first (or only) job in 2011 employment
     spell #1 has been pulled forward from our data on their last (or 
     only) job in whatever spell was current at last interview. 
     Participants who did not confirm the data on record were asked to 
     report on the job they held when last interviewed. If the 
     participant was not employed when last interviewed, they were 
     asked about the first employment spell they maintained for a 
     period of six months or longer since; participants without any 
     employment spells spanning at least six months were asked about 
     their current spell (of less than six months' duration), if 
     applicable. 

     Participants satisfying one of the above conditions were 
     additionally asked to report on up to seven subsequent employment 
     spells they had maintained for six months or longer since the 
     first spell that was discussed ended (this six-month requirement
     was waived for current spells initiated within the last six
     months). All told, then, data were collected on a maximum of 
     eight employment spells; if the participant reported working in 
     more than eight spells since last being interviewed, they were 
     asked to report on their most recent or current employer to fill 
     out the eighth spell. 
        
For all eight possible employer job spells, the CAPI instrument was programmed
to collect job data in a roster form, meaning the participant was asked the
same series of questions about each spell. Of the valid spells reported by each
participant, one was selected as and copied into the "current or last employer
job spell" roster while another was selected as and copied into the
"pre-retirement employer job spell" roster (for participants who reported
retiring from one or more spells since last being interviewed). Unlike in
previous waves, the CAPI instrument was programmed to collect the exact same
employment information from both graduate and sibling participants; as such,
the analysis variables contained within the 2011 Employment Module are fully
analogous irrespective of participant type. Users should also note that
2004-wave survey questions about disability benefits and work site
characteristics (e.g. geographic location and number of co-workers) were not
replicated in 2011 while questions regarding working with disabilities were
moved to the Health Module. 

Data for the 2011 collection wave were primarily compiled from in-person (CAPI)
and - more rarely - telephone (CATI) interviews, as well as from
self-administered questionnaires that participants were asked to complete and
mail back after being interviewed. Sometimes participants who were unwilling to
be interviewed in-person or by telephone indicated they would be willing to
return a self-administered questionnaire (SAQ). Thus we created a unique
version of the SAQ and mailed it to participants who did not complete an
in-person or telephone interview: the "mail-only self-administered
questionnaire" (MOSAQ). In addition to replicating all content in the original
2011 SAQ, the MOSAQ also contained questions analogous to those asked in
selected CAPI modules: Marriage, Cohab, and Dating; Children; Health;
Employment; Income and Pensions; and Assets. Since MOSAQ data contributed to
THIS module, users should pay special attention to analysis variable values of
-29 and -30. Values of -29 (left blank on MOSAQ) mean that the information
contained within a CAPI variable was asked of but not answered by a MOSAQ
participant while values of -30 (not part of MOSAQ) mean that comparable
information was not asked of MOSAQ cases. For quick reference, only HF002JS and
variables belonging to the "current or last employer job spell" roster were
complemented by MOSAQ data. 

As pertains to occupation and industry coding, it is worth noting that while
1970-basis Census classifications were used in some previous collection waves
only 1990 and 2000-basis classifications were used to assign codes in 2011.
With respect to military occupations, in particular, this may contribute to
some inconsistency across waves. In the 1970 Census, all military employees
were assigned to the government industry and given generic military codes
(industry = 917; occupation = 970-973) regardless of the exact occupational
tasks they performed. In the 1990 Census, however, while all military employees
were still assigned to the government industry (industry = 940-960), they may
have been assigned non-military occupation codes if they held a job that also
existed in the civilian labor force. Only military jobs that were incomparable
to civilian occupations received the 1990 generic military occupation codes
(occupation = 903-905). Cor681 in Appendix E provides further detail on how
differences between the 1970 and 1990 Census occupation and industry
classification schemas have been addressed. For information about the nature of
the Employment Module and our employment data at prior collection waves, please
see Appendices E and F. No new documentation about employment data was added to
the appendices for the 2011 collection wave. 


BRIEF VARIABLE DESCRIPTIONS

    Non-Rostered: 
    _____________________________________________________________________

    HEMPSTAT-HEMPREL:	    Module-Level Status Variables

    HF001JS:                Pattern of Employer Job Spells

    HF002JS-HF046JS:        Summary Variables Describing Employment 
                            History, Current Work Status, Overlapping
                            Job Spells, and Availability of Employer-
                            Provided Pensions and Health Insurance
    
    HF049J2D-HF049J8D:      Indicators for Whether Participant Started
    			    a Subsequent Employer Job Spell Before  
    			    Leaving the Prior One
    			    
    HF064J2-HF064J8:        Date Overlapping Employer Job Spell 
    			    Becomes Main Employer Job Spell

    HF065J1C:               Is First Employer Job Spell the Same as 
                            Previously Reported Current Job Spell? 
                            (First Spell Only)


    Rostered: variable names end J1_ for the first employment spell, 
    J2_ for the second, JC_ for the current or last employment spell, 
    and JP_ for the pre-retirement employment spell.
    _____________________________________________________________________

    HF001J1C-HF002J1C:      Start and End Dates of Employer Job Spells

    HF004J1C-HF104J1C:      Hours Worked Per Week and Full Time
    			    Status for First/Only Job in Spell

    HFU07J1D-HF017J1E:      Class of Worker, Industry, and Occupation
    			    Codes for First/Only Job in Spell
    			    
    HF270J1E-HF271J1E:	    NAICS and SOC Codes for First/Only Job in
    			    Spell
    			    
    HF018J1E-HF020J1E:	    Occupational Prestige and Status Scores
    			    for First/Only Job in Spell

    HF026J1C-HF126J1C:      Pension Availability and Participation

    HF027J1C-HF128J1C:      Health Insurance Availability and
                            Participation

    HF030J1C:               Did Participant Ever Have a Change In
    			    Job Duties While With Employer?

    HF031J1D:               Date Participant Changed Job Duties

    HF032J1D-HF132J1C:      Hours Worked Per Week and Full Time
    			    Status for Last Job in Spell

    HF041J1E-HF044J1E:	    Industry and Occupation Codes for Last 
    			    Job in Spell
    
    HF540J1E-HF541J1E:	    NAICS and SOC Codes for Last Job in 
    			    Spell

    HF045J1F-HF047J1F:	    Occupational Prestige and Status Scores
    			    for Last Job in Spell

    HFU50J1D-HF063J1C:      Reasons Participant Left Employer Job
    		 	    Spell