Data Needs for Analyzing Labor Force Status and Transitions¹

Issue title: The Future of the Survey of Income and Program Participation

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Manser, Marilyn E.^a

Affiliations: [a] Office of Economic Research, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, DC 20212, USA

Note: [1] This paper was prepared for the Committee on National Statistics' Study Panel to Evaluate the Survey of Income and Program Participation. The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the policies of the BLS or views of other BLS staff members.

Abstract: The Current Population Survey, designed to produce the official monthly labor force statistics, is valuable for many labor force studies. Long-term longitudinal labor force information is available from several sources, most notably the National Longitudinal Surveys. In contrast, the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) was designed for analyzing within-year receipt of, and transitions in, income and program participation. Changing interviewing frequency and time in sample to improve SIPP's usefulness for these purposes while maintaining survey quality would be unlikely to enhance its role in providing labor force data. SIPP's most important uses for labor market studies are expected to center on the relationship of employment and unemployment to income and program participation and on various topics using its detailed data modules. This paper recommends consideration of alternative questionnaire methods to reduce SIPP's wave-seam problem, including an NLS-like employment history approach.

DOI: 10.3233/JEM-1992-181-404

Journal: Journal of Economic and Social Measurement, vol. 18, no. 1-4, pp. 47-65, 1992