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The importance and challenges of measuring work hours

Author

Listed:
  • Jay Stewart

    (Bureau of Labor Statistics, USA, and IZA, Germany)

  • Harley Frazis

    (Bureau of Labor Statistics, USA)

Abstract

Work hours are key components in estimating productivity growth and hourly wages as well as being a useful cyclical indicator in their own right, so measuring them correctly is important. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) collects data on work hours in several surveys and publishes four widely used series that measure average weekly hours. The series tell different stories about average weekly hours and trends in those hours but qualitatively similar stories about the cyclical behavior of work hours. The research summarized here explains the differences in levels, but only some of the differences in trends.

Suggested Citation

  • Jay Stewart & Harley Frazis, 2019. "The importance and challenges of measuring work hours," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 1-95, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izawol:journl:2019:n:95
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Katharine G. Abraham & Aaron Maitland & Suzanne M. Bianchi, 2006. "Non-response in the American Time Use Survey: Who Is Missing from the Data and How Much Does It Matter?," NBER Technical Working Papers 0328, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Michael C. Burda & Daniel S. Hamermesh & Jay Stewart, 2013. "Cyclical Variation in Labor Hours and Productivity Using the ATUS," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(3), pages 99-104, May.
    3. Harley Frazis & Jay Stewart, 2010. "Why Do BLS Hours Series Tell Different Stories About Trends in Hours Worked?," NBER Chapters, in: Labor in the New Economy, pages 343-372, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Jens Bonke, 2005. "Paid Work and Unpaid Work: Diary Information Versus Questionnaire Information," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 70(3), pages 349-368, February.
    5. Stephanie Aaronson & Andrew Figura, 2010. "How Biased Are Measures Of Cyclical Movements In Productivity And Hours?," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 56(3), pages 539-558, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Rachel Ngai & Orhun Sevinc, 2025. "A Multisector Perspective on Wage Stagnation," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 56, April.
    2. Heath,Rachel & Mansuri,Ghazala & Rijkers,Bob & Seitz,William Hutchins & Sharma,Dhiraj, 2020. "Measuring Employment : Experimental Evidence from Urban Ghana," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9263, The World Bank.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    hours of work; household surveys; establishment surveys; time-use surveys; productivity; hourly wages;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • C81 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - Methodology for Collecting, Estimating, and Organizing Microeconomic Data; Data Access
    • E23 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Production

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