Definitions of Selected Labor Force Terms:

Job: 

When used in relation to the variables in positions 798 - 881 on the data dictionary in the DataFerrett FTP site, the term "job" includes jobs for employers, self-employment, and all other types of work arrangements (or so-called "contingent work"– see definition below).

Contingent work:

This term is used in relation to the variables in positions 798 - 1036 on the data dictionary in the DataFerrett FTP site as a convenient way to refer to the kinds of jobs of people with an "other work arrangement" (as opposed to a job for an employer or to self-employment in a business). It primarily describes the work situation of workers who report that they had one or more employers in the reference period, but that they did not have a definite arrangement with any of them to work on an ongoing basis. It also describes the situation of people who had multiple (more than three) jobs for employers in the reference period. In SIPP, the term "contingent workers" refers to people who had these and only these kinds of work arrangements in the reference period. It thus encompasses people with the kinds of work arrangements of people defined as "contingent workers" by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (U.S. Department of Labor), as well as people with other kinds of work arrangements.

Job: 

When used in relation to the variables in positions 883 - 1036, 2347 and 2348 on the data dictionary in the DataFerrett FTP site, the term "job" includes jobs for employers and all other types of work arrangements – including so-called "contingent work" (see definition) – except self-employment.

Primary and secondary job:

The job-specific variables whose name ends with the suffix "1" (for example, EENO1) relate to a person's primary job: this is a job that the person held in the reference period and that is either the only job that the person held in the reference period or the job at which the person worked the most weeks or (if the person had more than two jobs) the most hours in the reference period. Correspondingly, the job-specific variables whose name ends with the suffix "2" (for example, EENO2) relate to a person's secondary job: this is one of two or more jobs the person held in the reference period and at which the person worked the second most weeks or (if the person had more than two jobs) the second most hours in the reference period.

Primary and secondary business: 

The business-specific variables whose name ends with the suffix "1" (for example, EBNO1) relate to a person's primary business: this is a business that the person held in the reference period and that is either the only business that the person held in the reference period or is the business at which the person worked the most weeks in the reference period or (if the person had more than two businesses) the business which produced the highest earnings before expenses during the reference period. Correspondingly, the business-specific variables whose name ends with the suffix "2" (for example, EBNO2) relate to a person's secondary business: this is one of two or more businesses that the person held in the reference period and is the business at which the person worked the second most weeks in the reference period or (if the person had more than two businesses) the business which produced the second highest earnings before expenses during the reference period.