Replication data for: Misclassification Errors and the Underestimation of the US Unemployment Rate

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Shuaizhang Feng; Yingyao Hu

Name	File Type	Size	Last Modified
20100815_data			10/11/2019 06:17:PM
LICENSE.txt	text/plain	14.6 KB	10/11/2019 02:17:PM

Project Citation:

Feng, Shuaizhang, and Hu, Yingyao. Replication data for: Misclassification Errors and the Underestimation of the US Unemployment Rate. Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2013. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2019-10-11. https://doi.org/10.3886/E112598V1

Project Description

Summary: Using recent results in the measurement error literature, we show that the official US unemployment rate substantially underestimates the true level of unemployment, due to misclassification errors in the labor force status in the Current Population Survey. During the period from January 1996 to August 2011, the corrected monthly unemployment rates are between 1 and 4.4 percentage points (2.1 percentage points on average) higher than the official rates, and are more sensitive to changes in business cycles. The labor force participation rates, however, are not affected by this correction.

Scope of Project

JEL Classification:
      E24 Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
      E32 Business Fluctuations; Cycles
      J21 Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure

Related Publications

Download this project

Published Versions

V1 [2019-10-11]

Export Metadata

Dublin Core

DDI 2.5

Report a Problem

Found a serious problem with the data, such as disclosure risk or copyrighted content? Let us know.

This material is distributed exactly as it arrived from the data depositor. ICPSR has not checked or processed this material. Users should consult the investigator(s) if further information is desired.