underemployment

7/30/2019 underemployment

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Compiled by Khurrum Atta & Fahad Hussain Page 1

EFFECTS OF UNDEREMPLOYMENT ON JOB SATISFACTION

Abstract

The shortage of people with adequate skills to fill jobs has been a subject of debate recently.

However, less attention has been paid to the reverse of the problem: the consequences of over

education for the jobs available Underemployment. Specialists in different industries leave the

country to work in other parts of the world because they can't support their family on the pay

they get for their work in Pakistan. Women simply quit work and become housewives because

the salary doesn't pay even for commute. This article puts an emphasis on factors that are leading

to UNDEREMPLOYMENT. The data used in this article is based on both qualitative and

quantitative data through different research, scholarly articles and findings by Experts.

The research is based on case study on clerical workers of SNGPL. By comparing their

educational backgrounds with their nature of job, this paper examines the impact of

underemployment on job satisfaction. Our results show that underemployment/over education is

correlated with higher level of job dissatisfaction, reduced job involvement, impaired co-worker

relationship, and more emphasis on future aspirations.

It is hoped that this article will serve as a useful tool for providing useful information to the

readers which will make them think over the factors that has neglected big time although it has

and has been hurting our economy, squandering our youth.

INTRODUCTION

DEFINITION: Underemployment refers to an employment situation that is insufficient in

some important way for the worker, relative to a standard. Examples include holding a part-time

job despite desiring full-time work, and over qualification, where the employee has education,

experience, or skills beyond the requirements of the job.

Underemployment has been studied in recent decades from a variety of perspectives, including

economics, management, psychology, and sociology. In economics, for example, the term

underemployment has three different distinct meanings and applications. All meanings involve a

situation in which a person is working, unlike unemployment, where a person who is searching

for work cannot find a job. All meanings involve under-utilization of labor which is missed by

most official (governmental agency) definitions and measurements ofunemployment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overqualificationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Managementhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unemploymenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unemploymenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unemploymenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unemploymenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Managementhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overqualification


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The unemployment rate is one of the most important and widely used indicators of economic

progress of any country. However, the unemployment rate does not account for employed human

resource working below the desired capacity, whether in terms of numbers of working hours,

compensation, level of skill, experience, etc. Such employed workers if willing and also looking

for higher capacity jobs are termed as underemployed. While it is important to look at various

dimensions of underemployment to supplement the analysis of trend is unemployment, only if

the work-hour-based concept of underemployment is being discussed here due to data

constraints. The problem in the labor market of Pakistan is not that of unemployment, but there is

also a significant underemployment. Underemployment was first considered by the second

international conference of Labor Statisticians (ICLS) in 1925. The eleventh ICLS adopted the

first international statistical definition of underemployment in 1957. Time-related

underemployment according to international labor Organization refers to insufficient hours of

work in relation to an alternative employment situation that a person is willing and available to

engage in (ILO 1988). Labor force survey of Pakistan (2006) show that a significant number of

those who were employed during the survey period were classified as having beenunderemployed. Underemployment was defined in the survey as persons who worked for less

than35 hours a week for an economic reason and they were available for additional work while

underemployment rate is estimated as a ratio of the employed who worked less than 35 hours a

week to the total labor force. In Pakistan, around 5.8 million or 14.0% of the total employed

were working less than 35 hours a week (GoP, 2004). Based on available information the

proportion of underemployment has been increasing from 13.4 to 15.53% during 2002-05 (GoP,

2005). Agricultural sector and rural area are reservoirs of disguised and underemployed labor

force. Underemployment in rural area was greater than urban area.

In Pakistan a large proportion of the employed labor force works less than 35 hours and may,

therefore, be considered as being underemployed; without knowing how many were doing it

voluntarily or involuntarily basis. This distinction is essential to compute the exact level of

underemployment in the country. As defined in the Pakistan Labor Force Survey ( LFS ),

employed persons working less than 35 hours are considered to be underemployed, but only if

they are willing and available for additional work. However, data constraint in the LFS does not

allow a clear computation of the underemployment rates directly, but some supporting LFS data

does provide some insights. Based available information, it appears that the underemployment

has increased from 13.4 percent to 14.0 percent during FY02-04.


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OBJECTIVES :

The primary objective of measuring underemployment and inadequate employment situations is

to improve the analysis of employment problems and contribute towards formulating and

evaluating short-term and long-term policies and measures designed to promote full, productive

and freely chosen employment as specified in the Employment Policy Convention (No. 122) and

Recommendations (Nos. 122 and 169) adopted by the International Labor Conference in 1964

and 1984. In this context, statistics on underemployment and indicators of inadequate

employment situations should be used to complement statistics on employment, unemployment

and inactivity and the circumstances of the economically active population in a country. The

measurement of underemployment is an integral part of the framework for measuring the labor

force established in current international guidelines regarding statistics of the economicallyactive population; and the indicators of inadequate employment situations should as far as

possible be consistent with this framework.

Research Question (s)

The major argument of my study is that, underemployment in conjunction with lower economic

class, higher exposure to a harmful work environment, lack of control over work, and a lower

social capital, contributes to increased work-related stress and diminishes employees quality of

life.

More specifically I argue that increased stress caused by the overall conditions that

underemployed workers experience.

It is to be expected that different forms of underemployment contribute to increased work-related

stress due to overall working conditions, including the constant re-adjustment to lower level


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tasks than a person is able or expects to do, and the adverse working and living conditions that

result from being underemployed.

Further I assume that underemployment contribute to a more hazardous and uncomfortable work

environment than is experience by those who are not underemployed, yet who possess the same

skill levels, knowledge, and educational attainment.

In light of its major argument my study addresses the following research questions:

1) To what extent are socio-demographic characteristic associated with underemployment,and how do these associations affect underemployment?

2) Is Under-employment is Temporary or Permanent Phenomenon?3) What are the predictors and consequences of underemployment?

LITERATURE REVIEW

The purpose of this paper is to offer a systematic review of the literature that explores under-employment and underemployment factors in Pakistan. Literature from a range of disciplines is

reviewed in an attempt to further a theoretical understanding.

In Pakistan, public sector employment is the preferred intention of the majority of university-

educated workers. Education has expanded rapidly during the last two decades. Secondaryenrollment level almost increased thirteen times form 1980 to 2005 and it led to a large increase

in the demand for the tertiary-level education. The education level of the Pakistan labor force

also increase over time but still it is relatively low as compared with some other South Asian

countries like India; China etc. There is high social demand for university education despite thefact that the monetary rewards associated with education, especially at the higher level, is very

low in traditional subjects.

The conceptual problems in the literature are much significant. The exact meaning of the term

underemployment has often depended on the assumptions made by the researcher about theworkings of the labor market. Actually why underemployment exists at all, is an interesting

question. According to Human Capital theory, it is assumed that labor market is fully efficient,and every worker is paid the value of their marginal products. Productivity and wages are fixes

in relation to perspective job; therefore underemployed workers have same productivity and

receive the same wage levels as those workers who are in jobs with required level of education.

According to some social scientists, any increase in supply of educated labor should trim down

the relative wage of such educated labor. In turn employer would now substitute the cheapereducated labor with less educated labor and capital. The low return may encourage worket to

invest less on education. This adjustment in labor market implies that underemployment will be

at most short run phenomena. Human Capital theory fails to explain the concept that someindividuals are emporatily or permanently are in jobs where their skills are underutilized. Second

one is occupational mobility theory ( Rosen 1972; Sicherman and Galor 199), underemployment


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represents a temporary phenomenon because underemployed workers are more readily promote

or more able to move to higher level jobs.Third one is job competition model (Thurow 195), marginal products and consequently earnings

are associated with jobs, not individuals. Individuals are 1st

allocated on jobs on the bases of

personal characteristics, including education that guides the employers to measure the cost of

training them to perform healthy on their jobs. Since this allocation is based on available suppliesof both workers and jobs, workers may possess more education and skills than their jobs

necessitate. Spences (1973) developed signaling model or job screening model. According to

this theory, there is imperfect information in the labor market and education is used as a signal toidentify the more able, motivated, or productive worker. The basic signaling model therefore

requires that the costs of education must be lower for higher ability workers.

The fourth one is assignment model ( Tinbergen 1956; Haratog 1981,1985; Sattinger 1993)

captures a more encompassing outlook. According to model; workers salaries are determined inpart by the job they are doing., particularly whether they are underemployed and in part by their

human capital. An allocation problem exists in which worker differing in attributes are allocated

jobs with differing levels of complexity. In a dynamic economy with heterogeneity of workers

and jobs these frequency distributions are unlikely to match and mismatch will be a permanentfeature of labor market.

Underemployed workers are defined as those whose educational attainments exceed to the

requirements of education in particular occupation. It can be seen as the decline in economic

position of educated individuals relative to historically higher levels and underutilization of

workers educational skills (TSANG 1987).

One may speak of underemployment when a person holds a job for which degree is not

required, when a persons educational attainment less than required education, and

misallocation when the education or training fails to correspond to the job held.Underemployment is a relative phenomenon. A person is defined as overeducated in one job may

not be so defined in another job.

The accuracy of the match between a workers education and his or her job has attracted the

attention of economists over the last two decades. The main reasons for this

over the last two decades. The main reasons for this interest is that education interest is that

education-job mismatches has relevant effects on the the efficiency of the public and privateinvestment in education by influencing wages as well as on other labor market outcomes such as

job dissatisfaction and labor turnover (Hersch 1991). Berg (1970) used 1950 and 1960 increasing

percentage of workers are employed in jobs that utilize less education than they possesses; that in

many jobs experience is a better indicator of earnings than is education.

Freeman (1976) found that the proportion of male college graduates entering no managerial and

nonprofessional jobs increased from 14% to 31% in 1958 to 1971. Rumberger (1981),

comparing 1960 and 1976 data, found thatthe distribution of educational attainments..shifted

dramatically during this period:by 1976 less than 25 percentof the U.S. population had low-

level education, but nearly half had jobs requiring low-level skills.


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Berg et al. (1978) found that 51 percent of all college graduates and 24.8 percent of the entire

U.S. labor force were underemployed in their present occupations. Norwood (1979), usingBureau of Labor Statistics data found that college graduates were increasingly entering the labor

market as low-level workers, especially in clerical and sales positions. Sullivan (1978) and Clogg

(1979) found that some workers are overeducated, suggesting that the skills of this highly

educated group are being underutilized.

More subjective measures of underemployment also find the similar results that in U.S. workersfelt that they were not utilizing their skills, they are overeducated for their jobs and that they

lacked training opportunities etc (Bisconti and Solmon (1976), Duncan and Hoffman (1978,

Staines and Quinn (1979)).

Some negative effects of underemployment also begun to explored. Advance education, by

raising workers expectations for interesting and challenging work, is claimed to result in

increased frustration and dissatisfaction when those expectations are not fulfilled. There isevidence that underemployment is correlated with higher level of job dissatisfaction (Berg,

1970; Bisconti and Solmon, 1977) lower level of job involvement (Kalleberg andSorensen, 1973), high job turnover rates and low level of productivity (Berg, 1970).

Burris(1983) examined the effects of underemployment on 32 low-level clerical workers,

comparing their educational backgrounds with their attitude and behaviors, and concluded thathigher education produces increased job dissatisfaction, high turn over rates, reduced job

involvement, impaired co-worker relations, and more emphasis on future aspirations. Using the

data set of 12 manufacturing and warehouses firms. Hersch (1991), discuss the issues of surpluseducation, satisfaction, and turnover rates. The results supported the previous studies that

overeducated workers were less satisfied to their jobs and have higher turn over rates. Battu et al

(1997) also find similar results by using a survey of graduates from two cohort years (1985 and

1990) in United Kingdom.

REASEARCH AND METHODOLOGIES

As there is not enough research done on the topic of underemployment therefore, this article

mainly comprises of data from secondary resources. However, this report includes wide array of

different methodologies i.e qualitative, quantitive, objective approach, subjective approach etc.

The prevalence of underemployment is usually measured by comparing individuals years of

schooling with some indicator of the requirement of education in a particular occupation. Todetermine the required level of education for a job and the degree of underemployment, three

methods for measuring Mismatch are implicit in the literature.

They are as follow;


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1) Subjective approach:The subjective measure refers to cases where workers report that they have acquired more

schooling than their job allows them to utilize. To measure underemployment and misallocation,

the subjective reports include questions such as how much formal education is required to get a

job like yours? (Rumbarg 1987; Duncan and Hoffman 1981)The estimates provide the basis for computing the total costs of educating a labor force with the

desired level of skills. It may reflect the exact schooling required because it is based on an

assessment of the actual job held by the incumbent. The method does not go un criticized either.

This approach could be biased if job incumbents are more likely to report required schooling

levels that more closely correspond to their actual level of education. In this case, the level of

underemployment will be underestimated, which affects the validity. Further more respondents

may not always have a good insight in the level of education required for a job (Cohn and Khan

1995, Halaby 1994)

2) Objective approach :This method pertains to job analysts determining the level of education required for a job. In

literature, this approach is based on the General Education Development (GED) scores available

from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) in U.S. The (GED) scores are designed to

reflect skill requirements typically required for satisfactory job performance (Eckaus, 1964;

Berg, 1970; Rumberger 1981). It derived independently of the job incumbent. Trained job

analyst grades the jobs. It is unreliable as there may be no basis in reality for what certain

workers believe to be the case (Clogg and Shockey 1984). Moreover new technologies or a form

of workplace organization leads to changes in educational requirements, DOT requirements from

an earlier period may not reflect the requirement at a later period.

3) Mean plus Standard Deviation Approach:Another approach tried to find the mismatch by two variables; years of schooling and occupation

(Clog, 1979; Clog.C. C., Shackey W. J., 1984; Verdugo and Verdugo, 1989). The distribution of

education is calculated for each occupation; employees who depart from the mean by more

than some ad hoc value (generally one standard deviation) are classified as underemployment.

Completed years of schooling are used as the proxy for educational attainment. This methodignores the variation in educational requirements within an occupation, while the limit of one

standard deviation would also seem rather arbitrary (Halaby, 1994). This method is very

sensitive to changes in labor market conditions. In case of excess supply of labor, employers will

hire higher educated workers than is in fact required. Therefore it concludes that the method

based on the realized matches is the least adequate one for determining underemployment.


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STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

In 2007, Interviewed 82 clerical/subordinate male workers from the SNGPL Islamabad. It was

excluded from the sample those employed part time, or unemployed. The workers all held

similar clerical jobs but had different educational backgrounds with age 20 to 50 years. Clerical

work is especially suitable for such investigation for three reasons.

underemployment is high in the clerical sector due to traditional humanistic educationalprograms in Pakistan.

underemployment in the lower white-collar sector are especially prone to job satisfaction. the paper analyze the utilization of skills in the public sector.

Questionnaire covers a wide range of topics including academic information, family background,

job satisfaction, job involvement, co-worker relationship, quit intentions, on the job trainings,

promotions and future aspirations. Respondents were also asked to evaluate their satisfactionwith their degree and job. To obtain the data on the incidence of underemployment, the

respondents were asked : considering your education.skills, do you feel that you are

underemployed? To obtain the required education for the job respondents were asked to state

the minimum level of education which was required for the position they hold. Satisfaction is

measured on a linear scale from zero to 10, where zero mean not at all satisfied. Skill

utilization is measured by offering a choice between the following response categories : less tha

25%.25%,50%,75% and more than 75%. Quit intention is a dummy variable equal to one if the

worker responded that he is very or somewhat likely to make a genuine effort to find a new

job within the next six months. On The Job Training is the response to the question. Did the

company provide any on the job training?if yes then hw many weeks? additionally, the survey

has time specific information as respondents were asked to tell their previos employment

situation. Finally a series of question were asked about workers general productiveness, and

economic participation-month unemployed, amount of training and contractual status.

Table 1 provides a detailed overview of the variable definitions and sample characteristics for

clerical workers

Table 1: Description of Variables

variables Operational Definition Mean

Variables Operational definitions Mean

Wage = monthly wage 13665


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Education attainment = years of schooling complete 15,25

Required education =years of schooling required

to perform a job well

12.3

Surplus education =attained education minusrequired education

2.95

Percent Surplus Education =%of surplus education of

total sample

0.70

Percent Adequate Education %of Adequate education of

total sample

0.26

Percent underemployed =%of underemployed of total

sample

0.04

Experience =years of full time work

experience sing age 18

13.52

On the Job Training (OJT) =weeks of company provided

on-the job training

9.12

Satisfaction =ranking a job satisfaction on

a scale 0-10 from not at all

satisfied

4.25

Quit intention =if a worker s somewhat orvery likely to make a genuine

effort to change employment

in the next 6 months, 0

otherwise

0.52

Tenure =years of tenure with present

employer

8.32

Married =1 if married; 0 other wise 0.64

Nature of job =1 if worker has permanent

job; 0 other wise

0.62

No. of observations 82


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RESULTS

To find out how much education constitutes underemployment for clerical work, we asked all

respondents whether they felt overqualified for their jobs. Out of the sample 70% respondents

reveal underemployment. Among post graduates, these feelings of underemployment grew from

the sense that they had fine educational background but poor utilization of skills. They wanted to

"try something different and more according to their education/skills."

According our results, young workers feel more underemployed as compare to old workers.

Thus, even though most of the graduate workers felt that the skills and knowledge they had

acquired at school were not being used. They felt overqualified because their potential was not

being fully used and their opportunities to learn and to grow on the job were limited. In the

words of a 32 year old computer operator: I would like to do innovative. I know education is

very important but I dont think here people are utilizing their skills, and I feel that I don't

necessarily have to have a degree for this job. I notice that there are lots of people sitting on topthat don't have professional degrees.

Post graduate workers expressed similar feelings: they wanted to learn and grow on the job. They

complained of a lack of training opportunities and an inability to learn about the overall

operation of company. They complained that the specific content of what they had learned in

education was not relevant to their job. There's a lot of frustration because there isn't the usage of

the skills that were developed. Their work is more boring, more routine, less creative, and less

autonomous.

Importance of Promotion and Aspiration for the Future:

Feeling of entitlement, combined with a sense of greater occupational options, made the higher

educated workers more edgy. Since workers who change jobs often do so in response to higher

outside wage offers, and attained education is most important determinant of outside wage offers

than the required education in current job.

The post graduate workers were more likely to say No when asked, would you be

content tostay in your present job for the foreseeable future? 66% of this group,

compared with 35% of those with four year college education, said No the lesser

educated felt they had fewer occupational options. A senior supervisor said, he deserves

and like the promotion, but added I dont know when it will happen; another said itshard to get a promotion in this company without approach. A third respondent asked

whether he would be content to stay in her present job. Said I may no other choice,


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CONCLUSIONS AND REMEDIES

Underemployment is obviously a critical problem because it represents the wasteful investment

of scarce resources. The underemployment is costly for the society and for the individuals.

Existing approaches to underemployment are generally characterized by a technocratic

orientation: the view that underemployment represents an imbalancing of the social machinery

(Squires 1979), a superficial dislocation of the social system which must be managed to make the

system function more smoothly. The hidden agenda of technocratic administrators is efficiency

and productivity:

underemployment represents an inefficient usage of human resources and I lost output for the

society (Glyde 1977)

Our key conclusion is that :

1) There is significant and genuine incidence of underemployment in clerical occupation(70% out of the sample).

2) Underemployed workers are young as compared to old and posses more qualification ascompare to old.

3) There is little substantiation of widespread qualification inflation, i.e. employersystematically upgrading the educational requirements of jobs in response to the increase

in the supply of more educated labor, without changing the job content.

4) There has also been a substantial increase in the supply of more educated labor.5) The results confirm our hypothesis that individuals in jobs that underutilize their

education and skills are dissatisfied because they earn almost no return on surplus

education. Since the excess education that is not required and hence may be

underutilized, have zero or lower impact on earning.

6) Further more there is evidence that individuals who studied certain types of traditionalhumanistic subjects are more likely to be underemployed.

We did not focus on the determinants of over-education. The results here add support

further empirical evidence supporting he view that the effect of education on satisfaction.Additional research and analysis is, of course, defensible, especially on such topics as

how to measure underemployment determinants and impact of underemployment on

earning, job satisfaction, turn over, and on the job training. Research which undertakes

such analysis in great detail than we have done here may be particularly fruitful.


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QUESTIONNAIRE

Employment / Underemployment Questionnaire

Your honest answers to these questions will help us understand what is happening with our jobsin Country, and to work towards improving our livelihood Security.

Your answers represent whole Country residents. So please take the time to answer carefully all

questions that apply to you..Remember that all your answers are strictly confidential and are not linked with your name in

any way. Thank you very much for the generous and valuable contribution of your time and

energy.

Note: Ignore the small numbers next to the check boxes. They are just for data entry purposes.

Labor Market Activity

Terms and Definitions:

Employed: People, 15 years & over, who are working for pay.

Unemployed: People 15 years & over who are currently not working for pay, yet have been

actively looking for paid work in the past 4 weeks.

Not in the labor force: Not employed and not actively looking for work. (Includes retirees,

students, full-time home-makers, and discouraged workers who have given up

looking for work).

Full-time: Worked 30 or more hours per week in your main paying job

Part -time: Worked less than 30 hours per week in your main paying job

Note: if you are unsure about the meaning of any terms or definitions, pleasesee the end of this questionnaire where all the definitions are described in detail

Please SKIP any questions that do not apply to you -- (for example, some

Questions only apply to employed people, some only to people who are

Unemployed.)


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Q1) Through 4 all apply to Monday through Sunday of LAST WEEK.

(Note: If you have a job but were on vacation last week, you are still "employed.")

1. during last week, were you?

1 Employed

2 Unemployed _ go to question 4

3 Not in the labor force _ Go to question 8

2. If you were employed last week, was your main job.....? (Check all that apply)

1 Full-time (30 or more hours)

2 Part-time (less than 30 hours)

3 Casual, on-call or short-term contract

4 Seasonal

5 Working for others

6 Self-employed

7 Other (please specify) _______________________

3. If you were employed part time in your main job last week (less than 30 hours) was it

because you:

1 Could not find full-time work?

2 Did not want full-time work?


4. If you were unemployed last week and actively looking for work in the last 4 weeks, were

you

unemployed because of: (check only one answer)

1 Own illness or disability

2 Maternity/paternity leave

3 Personal or family responsibilities

4 Returned/returning to school

5 Layoff, expecting to return to work

6 Waiting for new job to start7 Had no transportation

8 No suitable work available


5. If you are unemployed, are you mainly looking for:


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1 Full-time work

2 Part-time work

3 Either

6. If you have been unemployed in the last 12 months, how many weeks, in total, duringthe last 12 months, have you been unemployed?

1 0-4 weeks

2 5-12 weeks

3 13-24 weeks

4 25-51 weeks

5 52 weeks or more

7. Would you like to have a paying job?

1 Yes2 No

8. For what reason do you not have a paying job? (Enter a maximum of 3 reasons)

1 Suitable work is unavailable or hard to find

2 Lack necessary skills or qualifications

3 Own illness or disability

4 Lack transportation to or from work

5 Unable to find good childcare

6 Caring for elderly relative(s)

7 Attending school

8 Prefer to stay at home with children

9 Spouse wants you to stay at home

10 Personal or family responsibilities

11 Retired

12 Gave up looking for work

13 Other? (please specify) _______________________

9. If youdo want a job, what do you think the chances are that you will find one in the

next 6 months?

1 Very likely

2 Somewhat likely

3 Somewhat unlikely

4 Very unlikely


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5 Don't know

10. Have you been with the same employer for the past 12 months?

1 Yes

2 No

Your answers to the questions will help us assess future prospects for finding employmentpatterns.

Job Characteristics

.


Full-time: Worked 30 or more hours per week in your main paying job

Part -time: Worked less than 30 hours per week in your main paying job

Casual/On-Call: Hours vary substantially from one week to the next. Workers may be asked

to work as the need arises, not on a prearranged schedule. (i.e. substitute teacher)

Contract: Job has a predetermined end date, or will end as soon as a specified project is

completed. Includes temporary or term jobs, including work done through a

temporary help agency.

Self-employed: Working owners of their own business (incorporated/not-incorporated), farm,or professional practice; or self-employed people who do not own their ownbusiness (example: babysitters, newspaper carriers, etc.)

11. Is your main job permanent (meaning there is no pre-specified date of termination)?

1 Yes _

2 No

12. Why is your job not permanent?

(Please check only theone answer thatbest describes your job.)

1 Seasonal job

2 Casual / on-call job

3 Self-employed (temporary situation) (non-seasonal)

4 Other long term temporary or term job (6 months or longer)

5 Other short term temporary or term job (less than 6 months)


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6 Other non-seasonal contract work


13. How would you classify your work?

1 Paid worker _ Go to question 292 Self-employed without employees

3 Self-employed with employees

4 Unpaid work for family business


14. If you are self-employed, what is the main reason? (Check one only)

1 No suitable work available

2 Want to make more money

3 Enjoy independence4 Flexible schedule

5 Can work from home

6 Family business


15. What is your occupation?

(If you are not sure where your job fits, please see detailed job breakdowns at the very end of

this questionnaire.)

1 Management Occupations

2 Business, Finance and Administrative Occupations (Examples: accountants, finance

advisors, secretaries, receptionists, etc.)

3 Natural and Applied Sciences and Related Occupations (Examples: computer

programmers, engineers, etc)

4 Health Occupations (Examples: doctors, nurses, etc.)

5 Occupations in Social Science, Education, Government Service and Religion

(Examples: teachers/professors, counsellors, lawyers, social workers, etc.)

6 Occupations in Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport (Examples: artists, actors, graphic

designers, coaches, journalists, etc.)

7 Sales and Service Occupations (Examples: insurance and real estate sales, buyers,salespersons, cashiers, supervisors, cooks, food & beverage service, childcare and homesupport workers, etc.)

8 Trades, Transport and Equipment Operators and Related Occupations (Examples:

contractors and supervisors, construction trades, transport and equipment operators,

trades helpers, construction and transportation labourers, etc.)


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9 Occupations Unique to Primary Industry (Examples: occupations unique to fishing,

farming and mining, etc.)

10 Occupations Unique to Processing, Manufacturing and Utilities (Examples: machine

operators, assemblers, supervisors, processing labourers, etc.)


16. What is the job title of your main job? ___________________________________

17. At your main job, are you... (check all that apply)

1 A union member?

2 Covered by union contract or collective agreement?

3 None of the above?

18. Which of the following benefits do you have that are paid either in full or part by your

employer? (check all that apply)

1 Pension plan or group RRSP (other than mandatory Canada Pension Plan)

2 Health Plan (other than provincial Medicare)

3 Dental Plan

4 Paid Sick Leave

5 Paid Vacation Leave

6 Paid Educational Leave

7 Other Paid Personal Leave

19. If you are entitled to Paid Vacation leave, how many weeks of paid vacation are youentitled to on an annual basis?

1 Not entitled to paid vacation leave

2 Less than 1 week

3 1 week

4 2 weeks

5 3 weeks

6 4 weeks

7 5 or more weeks

20. Please estimate how many people work for your employer at all locations:

1 1-10

2 11-20

3 21-50


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4 51-100

5 101-500

6 Over 500

21. Some people do all or some of their paid work at home. Excluding occasional overtime

work that you may take home with you from time to time, do you usually work any ofyour scheduled hours at home?

1 All

2 Some

3 None _ Go to question 41

22. What are the main reasons you do some or all of your paid work at home?

(Check maximum of three answers).

1 To care for children

2 To care for other family members

3 Other personal/family responsibilities

4 Requirements of the job

5 Self-employed/home office

6 Better working conditions

7 To save money

8 To save time


23. If your employer provides any equipment or supplies for this work done at home,

please check all that apply.

1 A computer

2 A modem

3 A fax

4 Other equipment or supplies (please specify) ______________________

5 Reimbursement of costs

6 No equipment or supplies required

7 Nothing supplied

24. If you do some or all of your paid work from home, do the terms of your employment

(contract or otherwise) require you to have access to any of the following? (Check all

that apply)

1 A computer


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2 A modem

3 A fax

4 Other equipment or supplies (please specify) ______________________

5 No equipment or supplies required.

25. Last week, how many hours did you actually work at home? (If on vacation last week,how many hours did you actually work at home in your last full week of work before

vacation?)

1 ____ hours

2 None

26. On average, how many hours do you usually work at home per week?

1 ____ hours

2 None

Work Schedule and Income


Usual Schedule: Usually means more than half of the time.

Usual hours: Normal paid or contract hours,not counting any overtime. For selfemployed

and unpaid family workers, usual hours refer to the number of hours usuallyworked in a typical week, regardless of whether you were paid.

Actual hours: The number of hours you actually worked last week, including overtime.

Regular daytime shift: Work begins in the morning and ends in the afternoon; the standard

9 to 5 schedule is included in this category.

Regular evening shift: Work starts about 3 or 4 p.m. and is over by midnight.

Regular night or graveyard shift: Work starts around midnight and finishes around 8 am.

Rotating shift: A combination of the above shifts provided the shifts rotate on a regular

basis and one shift does not predominate over the other(s).

Split shift: Two or more distinct periods of work with a period of free time that is not

solely a lunch break, between work periods.

Irregular schedule: Is usually prearranged one week or more in advance (for example, pilots)

On-call/casual: Hours vary substantially from one week to the next. Workers may be


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asked to work as the need arises, not on a prearranged schedule. (for example, substitute

teacher)

PLEASE SEE THE END OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR MORE DETAILED DEFINITIONS..

27. Last week, did you have more than one job?

1 Yes

2 No _ Go to question 44

28. How many jobs did you have last week?

1 Two

2 Three

3 Four

4 Five or more

Part II: The Community GPI Survey 98

29. What is the main reason you worked at more than one job last week?

(check one only):

1 To meet regular household expenses

2 To pay off debts

3 To buy something special

4 To save for the future

5 To gain experience

6 To build up a business7 You enjoy the work of a second job


30. How many hours per week do you usually work at:

1 Your main job? ________ hours (please enter number)

2 All other jobs? ________ hours (please enter number)

31. Last week, how many hours did youactually work at: (If you were on vacation last week,

how many hours did you actually work in your last week of work before vacation)

1 Your main job? ________ hours (please enter number)

2 All other jobs? ________ hours (please enter number)

32. If you usually work part-time (less than 30 hours per week), is this because you split

your job with someone else (a job-sharing arrangement)?


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1 Yes


33. Is your job-sharing arrangement voluntary?

1 Yes

2 No

34. How manyhours per day do you usually work at your main job?______hours

35. At what time do you usually begin work at your main job? (Circle am or pm)

1 ________a.m. / p.m.

2 It varies

36. At what time do you usually end work at your main job? (Circle am or pm)

1 ________a.m. / p.m.

2 It varies


37. Are you on a flexible schedule that allows you to choose the time to begin and end your

work day?

1 Yes2 No

38. Which of the following best describes your work schedule at your main job?

(Check one answer only). Is your schedule

1 A regular daytime schedule?

2 A regular evening shift?

3 A regular night or graveyard shift?

4 A rotating shift (that changes from days to evenings)?

5 A split shift (consisting of two distinct periods of work each day)?

6 On-call / Casual

7 An irregular schedule


39. What is the main reason you work this schedule? (Choose main reason - check only one

answer)


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1 Earn more money

2 Allow time to care for children

3 Allow time to care for other family members

4 Allow time for school

5 Requirements of the job/no choice

6 Preferred schedule


40. How long have you had this schedule at your main job?

1 Less than one month

2 1 month to less than 6 months

3 6 months to less than 1 year

4 1 year to less than 2 years

5 2 years to less than 5 years6 5 years or more

41. In addition to your scheduled hours, do you usually work over-time for which you

receive compensation?

1 Yes

2 No

42. Last week, in addition to your scheduled hours, did you work any hours of overtime for

which you will receive compensation?

1 Yes

2 No

43. How will you be compensated for the overtime you worked last week?

1 With money

2 With time off

3 Other? (please specify) _______________________

44. At what rate of pay is your overtime work compensated?

1 Not paid for overtime

2 Straight time

3 Time and a half

4 Double time


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45. In addition to your contractual schedule, do you usually work extra overtime hours in

your main job, for which you donot receive compensation?

1 Yes

2 No

46. Last week, did you work any overtime hours for which you won't receive

compensation?

1 Yes

2 No

47. Aside from wage or salary, do you have other sources of income in your main job? (tips,

commission, etc.)

1 Yes

2 No

48. At your main job, what are your gross annual earnings, including tips and commissions

(before taxes).

1 Less than 5,000

2 5,000 to 9,999

3 10,000 to 14,999

4 15,000 to 19,999

5 20,000 to 24,9996 25,000 to 29,999

7 30,000 to 34,999

8 35,000 to 39,999

9 40,000 to 44,999

1045,000 to 49,999

11 50,000 to 54,999

12 55,000 to 59,999

13 60,000 or more

EVERY ONE PLEASE CONTINUE WITH THE NEXT QUESTION,

WHETHER YOU ARE CURRENTLY WORKING OR NOT:

49. What are your gross annual earnings, including tips and commissions, from all the paid

jobs you have had in the last 12 months combined (before taxes)?


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(Answer this question even if you presently don't have a paid job -- just add up your

earnings from any jobs that you have had in the past year.)

1 Have not had any paid work in the last 12 months

2 Less than 5,000

3 5,000 to 9,9994 10,000 to 14,999

5 15,000 to 19,999

6 20,000 to 24,999

7 25,000 to 29,999

8 30,000 to 34,999

9 35,000 to 39,999

10 40,000 to 44,999

11 45,000 to 49,999

12 50,000 to54,999

13 55,000 to 9,999

14 60,000 or more

50. What is your best estimate of the total income (before taxes) of all household members

from all sources in the last 12 months?

(Include wages, EI, social assistance and other transfer payments, interest, dividends, and allother sources of income).

1 Less than 5,000

2 5,000 to 9,999

3 10,000 to 14,999

4 15,000 to 19,999

5 20,000 to 24,999

6 25,000 to 29,999

7 30,000 to 34,999

8 35,000 to 39,999

9 40,000 to 44,999

10 45,000 to 49,999

11 50,000 to 54,999

12 55,000 to 59,99913 60,000 to 69,999

14 70,000 to 79,999

15 80,000 or more

51. Did you receive income in the form of interest or dividends last year?


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1 Yes

2 No _

52. How much income in the form of dividends or interest did you receive last year?

1 100 or less

2 101 - 500

3 501 - 1,000

4 1,001 - 2000

5 2,001 - 5,000

6 5,001 - 10,000

7 10,001 - 20,000

8 20,001 - 40,000

9 More than 40,000

53. If you are not currently employed, what is your gross monthly income from all

government sources, such as employment insurance, social assistance, family benefits,

etc?

Pkr________________

54. If you are currently unemployed, are you receiving employment insurance benefits?

1 Yes

2 No _

55. Thinking about the past 12 months, did your household ever run out of money to buy

food?

1 Yes

2 No

56. Which of the following best describes the food situation in your household?

1 Always enough to eat

2 Sometimes not enough food to eat3 Often not enough food to eat

Job Security

57. Have you had paid work in the past 12 months?


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1 Yes

2 No _

58. Have any of the following situations in your work environment caused you excess worry

or stress in the past 12 months? (Check all that apply).

1 Too many demands

2 Too many hours

3 Too few hours

4 Lack of autonomy or control over work

5 Risk of accident or injury

6 Poor interpersonal relations

7 Threat of lay-off or job loss


59. Do you think it is likely you will lose your job or be laid off in the next year? Would you

say it is...

1 Very likely?

2 Somewhat likely?

3 Somewhat unlikely?

4 Very unlikely?

5 Don't know

60. If you think it is likely you will lose your job or be laid off in the next year, do you think

this will be because of the introduction of computers and/or automated technology?

1 Yes

2 No

3 Not Sure

61. Are you currently a full-time student?

(If you are a full-time student currently holding a summer job, still answer YES here).

1 Yes

2 No

62. During the last 5 years, how many times have you switched jobs from one employer to

another?


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1 Have not switched jobs during the last 5 years

2 1

3 2

4 3

5 4

6 5

7 6 or more

63. During the last 5 years (60 months), in how many of those months did you hold paid

employment or have self employment income? (Please take the time to work this out as

accurately as you can).

1 All 60 months

2 _______ months

64. During the last 5 years, did you leave your job, or were you ever away from work

without pay, for a period of three or more months?

1 Yes


65. Was this because the work was seasonal?

1 Yes

2 No

66. During those 5 years, how many times have you been away from work without pay for a

period of three or more months?

1 0

2 1

3 2

4 3

5 4

6 5

7 6 or more

Underemployment

67. What is the NORMAL or AVERAGE EDUCATION requirement for your position at

your main job?


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1 No Minimum

2 Some High School

3 High School Diploma

4 Community College

5 Trade Qualification

6 Private Training Institutions (for example Information Technology Institute -ITI)

7 University Degree

68. What is the NORMAL or AVERAGE WORK EXPERIENCE requirement for your

position at your main job?

1 No Minimum

2 Less than 1 year

3 1-2 years

4 3-4 years5 5 years or more

69. How long do you estimate that it would take to TRAIN someone, who has the normal

education requirement for your position, to do your job?

1 No training required

2 1 week or less

3 2-4 weeks

4 1-3 months

5 3-6 months6 more than 6 months

70. How closely is your current job related to your education? Is it...

1 Closely related

2 Somewhat related

3 Not at all related

71. Would you rather have a job more closely related to your education, training and

experience?

1 Yes

2 No

3 Not relevant

72. Considering your education, training and experience, do you feel that you are


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overqualified for your current job?

1 Yes

2 No

3 Not relevant

73. Considering your education, training and experience, do you feel that you have been

overqualified for most of your jobs?

1 Yes

2 No

74. Do you feel that you are under-qualified for your current job(s)?

1 Yes

2 No

This concludes the Employment section of the Questionnaire

Thank you for your time.

Do you have any additional comments on employment-related issues not

covered in these questions: (Please continue on on the back of the page if you need

more space).

Detailed Definitions :

Employed: Employed persons are those who, during the reference week:

(a) did any work at all;

(b) had a job but were not at work due to:- own illness or disability

- personal or family responsibilities

- bad weather- labour dispute

- vacation

- other reason not specified above (excluding persons on layoff and persons whose job

attachment was to a job starting at a definite date in the future).

Unemployed: Unemployed persons are those who, during the reference week:

(a) Were without work, had actively looked for work in the past four weeks (ending withReference week), and were available for work ;

(b) Had not actively looked for work in the past four weeks but had been on layoff and were

Available for work;


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(c) Had not actively looked for work in the past four weeks but had a new job to start in four

Weeks or less from the reference week, and were available for work.

Not in the Labor Force: Those persons in the civilian non-institutional population 15 years of

Age and over who, during the reference week, were neither employed nor unemployed. Some

Examples include retirees, students, full-time home makers, and discouraged workers who areNot employed but are not actively seeking work.

Full-time: Full-time employment consists of persons who usually work 30 hours or more perweek at their main job or sole job. (This definition has changed since 1991, at which time the

"full-time" designation applied to all persons who usually worked 30 hours or more a weekat all

jobs, and also to those who considered themselves to be full-time workers even though their totalhours were usually less than 30 per week.)

Part-time: Part-time employment consists of all other persons who usually work less

than 30 hours per week at their main or sole job.

Work Schedules

Usual Schedule: Usually means more than half of the time. Usual hours refers to normal paid

or contract hours,not counting any overtime. For self-employed and unpaid family workers,

usual hours refer to the number of hours usually worked in a typical week, regardless of whether

you were paid. Actual hours refers to the number of hours you actually worked last week,including overtime.

Regular daytime: Work begins in the morning and ends in the afternoon; the standard 9 to 5schedule is included in this category.


Regular evening shift: Work starts about 3 or 4 p.m. and is over by midnight.

Regular night or graveyard shift: Work starts around midnight and finishes around 8 am.

Rotating shifts: A combination of the above shifts provided the shifts rotate on a regular

basis and one shift does not predominate over the other(s).

Split shift: Two or more distinct periods of work with a period of free time that is not

solely a lunch break, between work periods.

On call: Hours vary substantially from one week to the next. Workers are asked towork as the need arises, not on a prearranged schedule.

Irregular schedules: No regular schedule but a schedule usually arranged one week or more in

advance.


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Flexible Schedule: A flexible schedule allows workers to choose their starting and stopping

times within limits established by the management.

Job Sharing Arrangement: Job sharing implies a voluntary arrangement whereby two or more

employees agree to share the job hours of one job. Job sharing should not be confused with work

sharing in which all workers work fewer hours to avoid layoffs.

Hours Worked: Respondents should include breaks but exclude lunch.

Occupations

Management OccupationsSenior Management Occupations

Other Management Occupations

Business, Finance and Administrative Occupations

Professional Occupations in Business and FinanceFinancial, Secretarial and Administrative Occupations

Clerical Occupations, Including Supervisors

Natural and Applied Sciences and Related Occupations

Health Occupations

Professional Occupations in Health, Nurse Supervisors and Registered NursesTechnical, Assisting and Related Occupations in Health

Occupations in Social Science, Education, Government Service and ReligionOccupations in Social Science, Government Service and ReligionTeachers and Professors


32/34


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underemployment

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