Working Paper: NBER ID: w14805
Authors: Katharine G. Abraham; John C. Haltiwanger; Kristin Sandusky; James Spletzer
Abstract: Using a large data set that links individual Current Population Survey (CPS) records to employer-reported administrative data, we document substantial discrepancies in basic measures of employment status that persist even after controlling for known definitional differences between the two data sources. We hypothesize that reporting discrepancies should be most prevalent for marginal workers and marginal jobs, and find systematic associations between the incidence of reporting discrepancies and observable person and job characteristics that are consistent with this hypothesis. The paper discusses the implications of the reported findings for both micro and macro labor market analysis.
Keywords: employment discrepancies; household surveys; employer surveys; labor market analysis; marginal jobs
JEL Codes: C80; J21
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| marginal jobs (J63) | discrepancies in employment reporting (J63) |
| older individuals (65+) (J14) | discrepancies in employment reporting (J63) |
| low-earning jobs (J46) | discrepancies in employment reporting (J63) |
| job stability (J63) | misclassification in CPS (J79) |
| education (I29) | misclassification in CPS (J79) |
| occupation with high proportion of self-employed workers (J69) | misclassification in CPS (J79) |