Description

FWK_PVTAG_CPS8 reports whether the respondent contacted a private employment agency in an effort to find work.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) only classifies persons as "unemployed" if they did not hold a job during the preceding week and had actively sought work through specific "active" methods (such as answering want ads) during the preceding month. The open-ended question, "What has [this person] been doing in the last four weeks to find work?" is designed to determine whether individuals who said that they were looking for work had recently taken action to find a job and thus officially qualified as unemployed. FWK_PVTAG_CPS8 indicates whether one specific method (contacting a private employment agency) has recently been used by non-employed persons who identified themselves as looking for work.

The various methods of seeking employment recorded by the CPS are not mutually exclusive; individuals who received a code of 1 (method used) in FWK_PVTAG_CPS8 could report using any or all of the other search methods as well. Other active job search methods include: checking with an employer (see FWK_EMPLR_CPS8), contacting a public employment agency (see FWK_PUBAG_CPS8), contacting friends or relatives (see FWK_RELATE_CPS8), contacting school or university employment centers (see FWK_SCHOOL_CPS8), sending out resumes or filling out job applications (see FWK_RESUME_CPS8), checking union or professional registers (see FWK_UNION_CPS8), placing or answering want ads (see FWK_ADS_CPS8), or some other "active" job search method (see FWK_OTHERA_CPS8). Passive job search methods include: looking at job ads (see FWK_READADS_CPS8), attending a job training program or course (see FWK_JOBPRGM_CPS8), or some other "passive" job search method (see FWK_OTHERP_CPS8). Individuals who report doing nothing to find work receive a code of 1 for FWK_NOTHING_CPS8.

FWK_PVTAG_CPS8 was drawn from the final CPS interview, conducted 2-5 months before the ATUS interview. Information on other job search methods was also collected during the ATUS interview. See FWK_EMPLR, FWK_PUBAG, FWK_PVTAG, FWK_RELATE, FWK_SCHOOL, FWK_RESUME,FWK_UNION, FWK_ADS, FWK_OTHERA, FWK_READADS, FWK_JOBPRGM, FWK_OTHERP, and FWK_NOTHING.

Comparability

This variable is comparable across years from 2003 onward.

Universe

Availability

• 2003-2023

Flags