Chapter 1.
Labor Force Data Derived from the Current Population Survey

Technical References

Bowler, Mary, Randy E. Ilg, Stephen Miller, Anne Polivka, and Ed Robison. “Revisions to the Current Population Survey Effective in January 2003,” (PDF 133K) Employment and Earnings, February 2003.

Bregger, John E. “The Current Population Survey: a historical perspective and BLS’ role,” Monthly Labor Review, June 1984, pp. 8-14.

Butz, W. P. and T.J. Plewes. “A Current Population Survey for the 21st Century,” Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Research Conference, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census: Washington, DC, 1989, pp. 3-13.

Cohany, Sharon R., Anne E. Polivka, and Jennifer M. Rothgeb. “Revisions in the Current Population Survey Effective January 1994,” Employment and Earnings, February 1994.

Dagum, Estela Bee. The X-11 ARIMA Seasonal Adjustment Method. Ottawa, Statistics Canada, January 1983 (Statistics Canada Catalogue No. 12-564E).

Findley, D. F., B.C. Monsell, W.R. Bell, M.C. Otto, and B.C. Chen. “New Capabilities and Methods of the X-12-ARIMA Seasonal Adjustment Program,” in Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, 1988, vol. 16, pp. 127-76 (with Discussion).

Levine, Chester, Laurie Salmon, and Daniel H. Weinberg. “Revising the Standard Occupational Classification System,” Monthly Labor Review, May 1999, pp. 36-45.

National Commission on Employment and Unemployment Statistics. Counting the Labor Force, 1979.
A comprehensive review of the entire labor market data system; includes an appraisal of pre-1994 concepts and methodology and recommendations for further research and improvements.

“Overhauling the Current Population Survey,” Monthly Labor Review, September 1993, pp. 3-33.
A trilogy of articles that provides additional information on the background of the CPS redesign.

President’s Committee to Appraise Employment and Unemployment Statistics. Measuring Employment and Unemployment, 1962.
A review of all Federal statistical series on employment and unemployment and a comparison of the sources and uses of each series.

Tiller, Richard B. and Thomas Evans. “Revision of Seasonally Adjusted Labor Force Series,” Employment and Earnings, February 2003.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards. “An Error Profile: Employment as Measured by the Current Population Survey,” Statistical Policy Working Paper 3, 1978.
A description of the potential sources of error in the CPS as they affect the national employment statistics.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment and Earnings, “Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error,” monthly.
An up-to-date, concise description of the concepts and methods used in the labor force data from the Current Population Survey. Provides tables that present sampling errors for various labor force series.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and U.S Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. Current Population Survey: Design and Methodology, Technical Paper 63RV, 2002.
The most comprehensive guide to the survey. See also the Web site: http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/tp63rv.pdf .

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Expansion of the Current Population Survey Sample Effective July 2001,” Employment and Earnings, August 2001, pp. 3-7.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment, 2000, Bulletin 2550, 2002 (PDF 994K).
A tabular presentation of 2000 annual average data on the labor force characteristics of the population residing in the census regions, the 50 States and the District of Columbia, 50 large metropolitan areas, and 17 central cities.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. How the Government Measures Unemployment, Report 864, 1994.
A short, nontechnical discussion of the concepts and methods used to obtain labor force statistics from the Current Population Survey. Updated version: http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm.

Walker, James A. and John B. Murphy. “ Implementing the North American Industry Classification System at BLS,” Monthly Labor Review, December 2001, pp. 15-21.

Next: Chapter 2