Description

LABFORCE is a dichotomous variable indicating whether the respondent participated in the labor force during the preceding week. See EMPSTAT for a more detailed employment status variable. Those coded as "yes" in LABFORCE were either: were at work; held a job but were temporarily absent from work due to factors like vacation or illness; were seeking work; or were temporarily laid off from a job during the reference period.

Because the CPS is designed to measure unemployment in the civilian population, the original dichotomous employment status variable in the survey classifies members of the armed forces as NIU (Not in universe).

Comparability

Apart from changes in the universe, LABFORCE is consistent over time.

Comparison between LABFORCE and EMPSTAT over time: The "not in labor force" categories in EMPSTAT and LABFORCE (code "3" in EMPSTAT, general codes, and code "1" in LABFORCE) are the same. LABFORCE places those respondents who are gainfully employed and those who are unemployed, but part of the labor force (i.e. looking for work), into one category (code "2"), while EMPSTAT divides them into employed (code "1") and unemployed (code "2"). The sum of EMPSTAT categories "1" and "2" will be the same as LABFORCE code "2."

Comparability with IPUMS-USA

Universe

Flags

Unharmonized Variables

• UH_CIVLF_B1
• UH_ESRAG_A1
• UH_ESRAG_A2
• UH_ESR_A3
• UH_ESR_A4
• UH_MLR_A1
• UH_MLR_B2
• UH_MLR_B3