Description

DURUNEMP reports how many consecutive weeks had elapsed since each currently-unemployed respondent was last employed (i.e., how many weeks had the person been without a job and looking for one).

DURUNEMP is a 2-digit numeric variable that reports how many consecutive weeks had elapsed since each currently-unemployed respondent was last employed (i.e., how many weeks had the person been without a job and looking for one). DURUNEMP specific variable codes for missing, edited, or unidentified observations, observations not applicable (N/A), observations not in universe (NIU), top and bottom value coding, etc. are provided below if applicable by Census year (and data sample if specified).

DURUNEMP Specific Variable Codes
000 = Less than 1 week
100 = 100 weeks unemployed (Top Code: 1950)
250 = 250 weeks unemployed (Top Code: 1940)
998 = Unknown
999 = N/A

User Note: All amounts under 100 weeks are recorded precisely as the respondent answered. In the 1940 1% sample, amounts over 100 weeks are expressed in the following intervals, defined by the midpoint:
112 = 100-124 weeks unemployed
137 = 125-149 weeks unemployed
175 = 150-199 weeks unemployed
225 = 200-249 weeks unemployed

Comparability

This variable is comparable across years. In 1940, enumerators asked for the "duration of unemployment"; in 1950, they asked for the number of weeks the person had been "looking for work." These are technically the same thing -- a person must be looking for work to be considered unemployed (see EMPSTAT).

The variables MOUNEMP and WKSUNEMP relate to the duration of unemployment during a one-year interval. Unlike DURUNEMP, these other unemployment questions were not asked only of unemployed persons, and they may sum the lengths of multiple spells of unemployment between jobs.

Universe

Availability

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Flags

Editing Procedure

There is no editing procedure available for this variable.