12

the unpaid family workers, Although many housewives living on
farms are engaged at least to some extent in work connected
with the farming enterprise, relatively few of them were classi-
tied in the census asunpaid family workers, because enumerators
were instructed to retum as not in the labor force persons
engaged only in occasional work or incidental chores. In addi-~
tion, many housewives doing regular farm work may have been
reported as not in the labor force by enumerators who neglected
to obtain full information.

A few heads of houselolds are shorn in the tables in this
report as unpaid family workers, Most of these cases are prob-
ably the results of occasional errors in enumeration and in the
coding and tabulation of the returns.

Occupations of workers in various household relationship
groups.— In order to give additional information regarding the
types of employment of workers in various household relation-
ship classes, data on major occupation group are presented in
this report for employed workers in each relationship group.
The 10 major occupation groups shown here are principal subdi-
visions of the detailed occupational classification, comprising
451 specific occupation titles, which was used in the 1940 cen~
sus. The specific occupations in each of the major groups are
shown in the tables in Volume III of the Reports on Population,
entitled "The Labor Force." .

Household heads are employed to a relatively large extent in
proprietary, managerial, and skilled-worker occupations, while
the majority of the relatives of heads are clerical and sales
workers, semi-skilled operatives, domestic and other service
workers, and laborers (table 26), These occupational differ-
ences are related to differences in the age distribution of
workers in the various relationship categories. They were an
important factor contributing to the differences in unemploy-
ment rates during the census week smong various household re-
lationship groups.

Statistics on major occupation group for employed family
heads, classified according to characteristics of their fami-
les, appear in the reports presenting statistics for families.

PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT

Two types of information relating to part-time employment
were obtained in the 1940 Population Census: (a) Hours worked
during the week of March 24 to 30, 1940, for persons at work
(except on public emergency work) during that week, and (b)
months worked in 1939, for all persons 14 years old and over
(except those in institutions), The statistics on these sub-
jects presented here are designed to show the personal charac~
teristics and household relationships of part-time workers,
seasonal workers, and others intermittently employed, These
figures supplement the data on characteristics of persons who
Were unemployed during the census week and give additional in-
formation on the degree of utilization of available lator sup-
plies.

Hours worked during the census week,— Since the data on
hours worked presented in this report are designed. for use in
the analysis of part-time employment, persons who worked 40 or
more hours during the census week, most of whom were presumably
employed full time, are presented asa single category. The
complete classification, showing hours worked for persons work=
ing 40 or more hours, 1s presented in the report entitled,
"The Labor Force--Sample Statistics, Industrial Character-
istics."

Of the 44,203,740 persons who were at work (except on public
emergency work) during the census week, 7,400,820 were reported
as having worked less than 40 hours during the week (table 29).
Of these, 3,342,760 worked less than 20 hours, 2,055,640 worked
30 to 34 hours, and 2,002,420 worked 35 to 39 hours.

Several considerations affect the interpretation of thess
figures as indications of the prevalence of part-time employ-
ment during the census week. In the first place, a consider-
able number of. persons working 35 to 39 hours, and some of
‘those working 30 to 34 hours, were full-time workers in indus~
tries and localities where the full-time week was less than 40
hours, In the second place, many persons working only a few
hours each week. did not want more work, In the third place,
tor some types of Workers, suck as professional workers, busi~
ness men, and unpaid family workers, the number of hours worked
often could not be accurately determined, because such workers
do not usually folloy regular schedules of work. Finally,
there were 2,751,900 persons at work during the census week
for whom the number of hours worked wes not reported. For
‘hese reasons, the data on hours worked give only @ rough indi
cation of the number of persons employed pert time. Neverthe~

THE LABOR FORCE—

SAMPLE STATISTICS

less, they probably give a reasonably accurate picture of the
personal characteristics of part-time workers,

Months worked in 1939.— The data on months worked in 1939
provide a measure of part-time work in terms of @ full year,
taking account of seasonal and other intermittent employment
and of monthly variations in unemployment, which are not taken
into account in the statistics relating to activity during the
census week. Information on work in 1939 was obtained for #11.
persons 14 years old and over (except those in institutions) ,
including persons not in the labor force as well as those who
Were in the labor force during the week of March 24 to 30, 1940,
The reports were made in terms of equivalent full-time weeks of
work for pay or profit, including public emergency work and un-
paid family work. A full-time week was defined as the number
of hours locally regarded as full time for the given occupation
and industry. Paid vacations (except the summer vacations of
school teachers who did no other work during the summer), and
other absences with pay, were counted as time worked.

‘The returns for weeks worked in 1939 have been converted
into months in the tables in this report, because a large pro~
portion of the reports were only approximate, and did not repre—
sent valid statements of the precise number of weeks of work,*
‘The groupings of months worked that are used in this report are
listed below with their equivalents in terms of weeks worked as
reported.

Number of months worked Reported number of weeks worked

Without work in 1939....-...ce eens ++ 0 weeks
With work in 1939:

Less than 2 months.....-.-..4+ seve 1 to 6 weeks
2 mONthS....eeeeeeeeee seeeevers 7 to 10 weeks
BS MONtNS.....seeeceeeeeeeteeeeeeeeeeres LL to 14 weeks

4 and 6 months...
6 to 8 months......
9 to 1] months......eseee ee
12 months..

seeeees 15 tO 23 weeks
+ 24 to 35 weeks
teseesers 36 to 49 weeks
sere 50 to 52 weeks

‘The data on months worked in 1939 for persons 14 years old
and over, classified by employment status during the wesk of
March 24 to SO, 1940, are summarized in table VIII. There wers
50,800,680 persons, representing 50.9 percent of the population
14 years old and over (excluding inmates of institutions), who
reported that they had worked in 1939, The actual total of
persons who had worked at some time during that year was prob~
ably somewhat greater than this figure, since information on
work in 1939 was not obtained for persons in institutions dur~
ing the census week, and since there were 11,114,860 persons 14
years old and over not in Institutions for whom reports on this
subject were lacking, Most of the persons for whom months worked
were not reported, and the great majority of the 37,957,860
persons reported as without work in 1939, were not in the labor
force during the census week, There is evidence that, for per-
sons not in the labor force at the time of the census, the data
on Work in 1939 were incomplete, and thet many of those who
failed to report, or were reported as not having worked, had
actually been employed at some time in the year. (See the re~
port entitled "Characteristics of Persons Not in the Labor
Foree,"")

The group reported as having worked in 1939 was made up of
80,458,000 persons who worked twelve months and 20,842,680 who
worked less than twelve montis. Those who worked less than the
full year included persons who were seeking work at some time
in 1939; persons employed part time during all or a part of the
year; new entrants into the labor force who began to work in
1939; persons who became disabled, retired, or otherwise with-
drew from the labor force during that year; seasonal workers

‘Mis lack of precision was evidenced by a marked tendency for
enuneratora to report weeks worked in multiples of four, indicating
that they had ascertained the approximate number of months worked, and
multiplied by four to obtain the number of weeks. In converting the
yeturns to months, it was necessary to take account of the slight
error that resulted trom the enumerators’ procedure of multiplying the
number of months by four instead of by four and one-third. The clas:
Antervals were so chosen that tho weekly equivalent of any given num~
ber of months Would always fell in the same interval, whether the con-
version was made on the basis of four or four and one-third weeks per
month, Thus, 9 months might be figured incorrectly as 36 weeks or
correctly as 39 weeks, but both figures fell in the group 36 to 49
weeks, which is oquivalent to 9 to 11 months, In the case of 12
months, hovever, this procedure was not used, since it was apparent
that enumerators hed seldom used 48 weeks as the equivalent of 12
montha,



6 THE LABOR FORCE-—-SAMPLE STATISTICS

The high percentage in the labor force for women in the
group, "Not relative of head, or not in private household
due partly to the fact that this group included servants "liv-
ing in,"all of whom were in the labor force.

TRENDS IN SIZE AND COMPOSITION OP THE LABOR FORCE

Major trends since the beginning of the century in the size
of the national labor force and its personal characteristics
are shown by a comparison of the proportions of persons in the
labor force in various classes of the population in 1940 with
similar date for gainful workers in 1990 and 1900. Although
detailed comparative data from previous censuses are not in-
cluded in this report, such comparisons for urban and rural
areas and for regions’ can be made by reference to the publica~
tions of 190 and earlier censuses. Limited comparisons by
age, sex, color, and marital status are presented below.

Comparability of 1940 data on the labor force with previous
census data for gainful Workers,— The 1940 data on the labor
force are fiot directly comparable with the census statistics
for gainful workers in 1930 and earlier years, partly because
of differences in definition and partly because of differences
in the types of questions upon which the data were based, The
gainful worker statistics were obtained by means of questions
regarding occupation rather than employment status, "Gainful
workers" were persons reported as having a gainful occupation,
that is, an occupation in which they earned money or @ money
equivalent, or in which they assisted in the production of mar-
ketable goods, regardless of whether they were working or seek~
ing work at the tine of the census. The labor force is defined
in the 1940 census on the basis of activity during the week of
March 24 to 30, 1940, and includes only persons who were at
work, With a Job, seeking work, or on public energency work in
‘that week, The following are the most important types of per-
sons for whom the 1940 labor force classification differs
trom the gainful worker classification in earlier censuses:
a, Seasonal workers.—Seasonal workers not working nor
seeking work at the time of the census were not included in
. ‘the 1940 labor force. Such persons were counted as gainful
workers in earlier censuses if they reported an occupation.
>, New workers.—Persons without work experience seeking
work were included in the 1940 letor force; most such per-
sons were excluded trom gainful workers in earlier censuses.
c. Inmates of institutions.—In 1940, all inmates of
certain types of institutions were excluded from the labor
force. In earlier censuses such persons were counted as
gainful workers if they did regular work in the institution,
a, Retired and disabled persons.—Persons unable to work
and retired persons were excluded from the labor force in

1940. In earlier censuses many such persons reported their

former occupations and were counted as gainful workers.

Some persons who were actually in the labor force at the
time of the 1940 census were not counted as such because, they
failed to answer the employment status questions; likewise, in
earlier censuses many persons who were actually gainful workers
were omitted from the figures because they failed to report
‘their occupations, .

These differences probably do not seriously affect the com
parison of the total labor foree in 1940 with the total number
of gainful workers in 1920 and earlier years, since the groups
classified as in the lator force but not counted as gainful
workers at least partly offset the groups included among gain-
ful workers that were excluded from the 1940 labor force. For
particular age and sex classes of the population, however, the
number returned as in the lator force in 1940 may have been far
different from the number that would have been counted as gain-
ful workers if the 1930 procedure had been used.

‘The 1940 labor force figures are restricted to persons 14
years old and over, whereas the number of gainful workers shown
in earlier censuses included persons 10 years old and over. The
number of workers 10 to 13 years old has become relatively small
and no longer justifies the additional burden of enumeration and
tabulation necessary to retain the 10-year age limit. In mak~
ing comparisons between the 1940 labor force data and the gain-
ful worker statistics in earlier census reports, the slight
difference in age limits should be taken into consideretion.
The statistics shown in this report for earlier censuses have
been adjusted to exclude those 10 to 13 years old,

Changes in census dates affect the comparison of 1940 data
with those for earlier years. In-1900 the census was taken as
of June 1, whereas in 1910 it was taken April 15, and in 1920,
January 1; in both 1930 and 1940, the census date was April 1.
These changes may have had a pronounced effect, especially in

agricultural areas,
gainful workers.

on the size of the group returned as

Labor foros trends by age und_sex,—In' 1950, 84.1 percent of
the males 1! years old and over were reported as gainful work-
ers; in 1940, only 79.1 percent were classified as in the labor
force, ‘The corresponding figures for females were 24,3 percent
in 1930 and 25,8 percent in 1940, These differences indioute w
continuation of the trends in earlier decades toward decreusin:
participation in the labor market on the part of males and in-
creusing participation on the part of females (table IIT).

fable III, PERCENT OF POPULATION IN THE LABOR FORCE, MARCH 1940, ANID
‘PERCENT GAINFUL WORKERS, 1900 AND 1990, BY AcE AND SBx, FoR’ THE
UNITED STATES

[statistics baned on a Supercent sexple. 1900 and 1930 t

‘old and over inelude persons of unknown

for persons 14 yoors

2940 1930 1900

1012,

Fenalo, 1d and over,, $8.9

errs
ita

ane

For males in every age class, the percentage in the labor’
force in 1940 was below the corresponding percentage of gainful
workers in 1930, but the difference was greatest among Doys 14.
to 20 and men 55 years of age and over. Sharp decreases in the
proportions of workers among boys under 21 years old continued
@ long-term decline for this age group, which is associatod
with the extension of child-labor legislation and advancin:
educational standards. Even greater decreases for men 55 years)
of ge and over represented a continuation of the trend toward
earlier retirement, which has been in progress for many decades.
For men between 25 and 44 years of age, the proportion in the:
labor force in 1940 was only silghtly lower than the 1920 per-
centage of gainful workers. In previous decades, the percent—
age for men in this age class remained nearly constant,
increasing very slightly between 1900 and 1930. The chanie
between 190 and 1940 for this group was probably due mainly to
differences in the questions and definitions used, The amount
of the decline for males 14 to 20 and for those 5 years old
and over was also probably affected by differences in the ques—
tions and definitions used.

In the female population, decreases between 1950 and 1940
‘the proportion of workers were confined to the age classes
to 20 and 65 years and over, Substantial increases occurred
the age groups between 21 and 44 years, and slight increases in
‘those between 45 and 64 years. These increases were in accor}
with the long-term trend toward increasing employment of women,
which has been in progress for at least half a century. Amory
the factors associated with this trend are decreases in the
birth rate, increasing urbanization, and the introduction of
modern housekeeping aids.

in
um
in

Qrends in the nonwhite labor foroe.—In the nonwhite popula~
pion, the percentages in the labor force decreased both for
males and for females, and the decrease for males was mich
greater than that in the white population. Of nonvhite males
14 years old and over, 88.1 percent’ were gainful workers in
1930 and only 80.0 percent were in the labor force in 1940; the
corresponding percentages for whites were 83,7 in 1930 and'79.0
in 1940 (table Iv), Sharp declines occurred in the percentages
for nonwhite males 14 to 17 and 65 years old and over. Tha
percentages for nonwhite women declined in all age classes ex—
cept those between 25and34 years, inwhich the 1940 proportions
in the labor force were about the same as the 1930 proportions
of gainful workers. For white women, by contrast, the percent—
ages increased in all of the age groups from 18 to 64 years,



{
i

16 THE LABOR FORCE—SAMPLE STATISTICS

which extensive reductions 1n employment occurred just before
tthe time of the census. In some of the tables in this report,
persons with a job but not at work are classified separately in
order to permit) an analysis of the labor market in terms of
actual work or idleness during the census week.

‘The statistics for persons with a job but‘not at sork, by
class of worker and sex, are presented in table IX for the
United States, urban and rural, In urban and rural-nonfarm
aress, the proportion reported as with a job but not at work
was considerably greater for employers and own-account workers
‘than for wage or salary workers. This difference resulted at
least partly from the tendency of some enumerators to return as
with a Job but not at work persons, other than wese or salary
workers, who were actually at work during the census week, In
rural-fari aress, the percentage reported as with a job but not
at work was less for employers and otmn-account workers (0.9
percent) than for wage or salary workers (2.3 percent), prob-
ably because enumerators were instructed to report farmers as
at work even though, because of bed weather, temporary illness,
etc., they actually did no work during the census week.

Table Dt. PERSONS WITH A JOB BUT NOT AT WORK, BY CLASS OF WORKER AND
) FOR THE UNITED STATES, URBAN AND RURAL: MARCH 1940

[Ssettetion vesod on a S-yorcont axcpid]

= ao
sa no ais ve
Sar [wie roa |i me om
tts tn.) ro
Lee a ee aol hoes
tage tay meen] ol a cHl ma
share te one sr eae)
or creel ea en
ree cy a azo sta
i oo) Sta
wrth acae| ere
were) Bee] pew
Bharat one ac ae] “Fae
meet] seul aaa] 8
tga er aa |  eae| e

CHARACTERISTICS OF PERSONS FOR WHOM EMPLOWENT STéTUS
WaS NOT REPORTSD

‘The category, "Enployment status not reported,' includes two
groups: (a) Persons reported as not in the labor force but not
assigned to any specific category, who constituted about 20
percent of the 1,987,140 persons for whom employment status was
not reported; and (b} those for whom enumerators did not obtein
enough information to determine whether they were in the labor
force, who represented 80 percent of the total. ‘The entire
category is included in the total of persons not in the labor
force in the 1940 census reports, because most of the persons
in the group for whom enunerators did not obtain enough inform
ation to determine whether they were in the labor force, were
in classes of the population in which the proportion in the le-
bor force is low.

Of the group for whom enunerators did not obtain enough in-
formation to determine their labor force status, 40 percent were
attending sctiool, 10 percent were 65 years old and over, 20
percent were married women living with their husbands, and only
10 percent were men between the ages of 25 and 64, The major~
ity of the group would probably have been classified as in
school or engaged in own-home housework if full information had
been obtained. In many cases the failure to obtain the answers
to the employment status questions was due to the enumerator's
belle? that the questions were not applicable to students,
housewives, and aged persons.

On the basis of this evidence, 1t is estimated that probably
not more than 500,000 of the persons for whom employment status
vas not reported’ would have been classified as in the labor
force if full information had been obtalned.

Date on age, sex, color, marital status, household relation-
ship, and months worked in 1939 for persons for whom employment
status was not reported are presented in the report entitled,
"Characteristics of Persons Not in the Labor Force."

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RESULTS OF SAMPLE TABULATION
AND COMPLETE COUNT

The statistics in this report are based on tabulations of a
five-percent sample of the 1940 census returns. These figures
differ slightly from the results of complete tabulations, which
also give data on some of the subjects included in this report.
Table X presents the distribution by employment status of per
sons 14 years old and over in the United States, by sex and
urvan-rural residence, based onfive-percent sample tabulations,
and the corresponding figures obtained trom complete tabula~
tions, which were published in Part 1 of Volume III of the Re-
ports on Population. These figures show the magnitude of the
adjustments that would be needed to bring the five-percent sam-
ple figures in this report into exact agreement’ with the com-
Plete tabulations.

SAMPLE TABULATION AND COMPLETE COUNT, FOR PERSONS 14 YEARS
TebNE LD AND OVER, SY EMPLOYMENT STATUS AND SEX, POR THE UNITED STATES,
‘URBAN AND RURAL: MAROH 1940

MALE ‘FEMALE

AREA AND EUPLOVIENT STATUS Based co Based on
complete B-percent
count sample

‘UNTTED Stas

Population 14 years and over.

In labor force. stestsenese
Enployed (exe. on energ. work)
AG WOME sseecereeseerseee
With a Job but nob at work,
fon public enargency works...
Seeking works.
Experienced workers
How workeras.++seeee
Not in 1ebor force...

-| 80,569,748 | 50,543 ,840| 50,549,276] 50, 472,900

‘99,944, 240199, 958,800] 12,545,269) 13,007,480
34,202, 440]32,198,178]21,278, 920
/99,251,600|10,622,719|10,952,140
850,240) 915,458) “526,780
2,072,084| 2,003,640|  457,012| 448,900
3,844,241] 9,852,820] 1,249,569] 1,279,660
'3,881,882| 9,414,500] "944,588 "907,000

462,960] "488,820 $04,981
10,608, 508]10,585,040| 87,708,917 |87,464, 420
RBA

Population 14 years and ove

In labor Foret eee
“Employed (exc, on energ. Work).
0n public energency works.

28, 916,796| 28,898,240] 30,771,879] 80,778,740

23,007, 488]28,018,900| 9,608,212) 9,700,920
119,276,267|19,324,300| 8,314,300] 8,994,680
1,110,033] 1,077,900) 08,202] ‘308,560
2y619,268| 2,616,700] 969,709) 1,002,680
2,887,880] 2,3091520] 7.

'321,778| '807,280| pa4,912| 229,860
5,921,288) 6,877,440] 21,166,668] 21,074,620

Population 14 years and over,,....|10,217,927/10,261,940| 9,898,491] 9,826,700

In labor fore0..sesessesescaeessereseese] 7,657,646) 7,698,960] 2,082,922] 2,068,300
Buployed (exo. on omerg. work). 8,204,208] 6,259,880| 1,758,267) 1,785,860
On public emergency work.....s..++sees] 602,584] "580,260] ' 99,607) " 96,020
Booking Work-svsessessesscsesessececes] 860,759] 858,820] 278,848/ 186,420

Experienced workers, s] 72,3] 765,540] 182,965] 140,520

98, 408) 46, 48:
2,558,771 2,562, 960] 7,£06,809| 7,748, 480

Population 14 yoara and over......| 11,417,685)12,985,560| 9,998,856) 9,879,380

Im Labor forse.essesees 9,279,286] 9,240,940] 1,207,126] 1,288,260
‘mmployed (exe. on enorg. WOrK) + 8,545,485] 8,518,260] 1,070,613] 1,098,380
on public anergenay work...s.ecsss '259,477| ‘s4s,a80] |” 49,809| ' 49,920,
Seeking work...++s0e+eeree 874,824| 877,800] 67,012) 90,560
882,250] 389,440|63,426| 67,660

42,174] 87,860] 8,886] 22,900
2,188,999] 2,244,620] 8,781,740] 2,641,120

The differences between the five-percent sample figures end
those obtained from the complete tabulations are due partly to
sampling variations and partly to minor errors or biases in
coding, card-punching, and machine tabulation. Exact agreement
is not to be expected between these tabulations and the ‘corre-
sponding tabulations of a complete count, but the sample data
nevertheless indicate the relationships among the various char—
acteristics involved. With regard to the individual numbers in
‘the tables, comparisons thus far made indicate that 95 percent
of the numbers above 10,000 will differ from those given by the
complete count by less than 5 percent; 95 percent of those be~
tween 5,000 and 10,000 will differ by less than 10 percent;
and 95 percent of thoss between 2,000 and 5,000 will differ by
less than 20 percent. Somewhat larger variations may occur in
the case of numbers below 2,000, but even there the majority of
the differences are less than 10 percent,

i
g
i
:
e
‘
‘
:
e



}
i

eet mrenegetma ee

a

FOREWORD

Sampling techniques were utilized in the Sixteenth Decennial Census for
the first time in the history of the Population Census. The use of sam-
Pling methods permitted the collection of statistics on a larger number of
inguiries than had heretofore been possible, the release of preliminary
population statistics at an early date, and the tabulation of a great many

social and economic characteristics of the population at a relatively low
cost.

This report is based on tabulations of a five-percent sample of the popu-
lation returns and presents an analysis of the principal relationships be~
tween employment of individuals and their personal characteristics and
family relationships. These statistics show some of the most important
factors affecting the size and character of the supply of labor in the
United States, and the degree to which it was utilized during a period of
widespread unemployment. This report was prepared under the supervision of
Dr. Leon E. Truesdell, Chief Statistician for Population, and Dr. A. Ross
Eckler, Assistant Chief Statistician, byWilliam H. Mautz, Chief of Economic
Statistics, and Dr. John D. Durand, Employment Analyst. The sampling pro-

cedures were under the direction of Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Mathematical
Adviser.

m1


INTRODUCTION 18

DIAGRAM 4.—~PERCENT REPORTING LESS THAN 40 HOURS WORKED DURING THE WEEK OF MARCH 24-30,1940,
BY HOURS WORKED, FOR PERSONS AT WORK, BY AGE AND SEX, FOR THE UNITED STATES.

Ma
50 Le FEMALE 50

PERGENT
4N3943¢

dnp! Mol Awe! $1 33138138 193095 )$3 1 it! lib laws awe! 38695138! 30148
Ne TP AS oe 28 34 44 55 64 7% over = tS NY TS 24 26 34 44 Ba G4 74 over
AGE IN YEARS.
y
LESS THAN 30 HOURS 77 30 TO 4 HOURS 35 TO 39 HOURS

‘SOURCE: TABLE 29

|
|
|
|

DIAGRAM 5.— PERCENT REPORTING LESS THAN 12 MONTHS WORK IN 1939 BY MONTHS WORKED, FOR
PERSONS WHO WERE WAGE OR SALARY WORKERS IN MARCH 1940, BY AGE, FOR THE UNITED STATES

80

60} -] LH -

40 || | | | =

PERCENT

20|- | I] | + | a | |

I4ANDIS IGANDIT 18ANDID 20TO24 25 1029 3OT0S4 351044 457054 §5T064 657074 75 AND OVER

AGE IN YEARS
WITH WORK IN 1939

EEE without work wisso | (777 cess THan 6 montxs [| 6 To 11 MONTHS

SOURCE: TABLE 33


INTRODUCTION

the last full-time private or nonemergency Government job of -

one month or more.
Duration of unemployment
schedules in terms of weeks,

was reported on the 1940 census

but in this report the data are
presented in terms of months.* The classes of duration of un-
employnent that are used, and their equivalents in terms of
weeks as reported, are listed below.

Duration in months Reported duration in weeks

Less than 1 month...... o Under 3 weeks

L months... eee cece eee ea eee en ence 3 to 6 weeks

BMONMS. eee ee ee eeeereee ee eee 7 to 10 weeks
BMONEHS esse eee eee ee ee eee 11 to 14 weeks
4 and 5 MONthS... es eeeee ceca ee ee es 15 to 23 weeks
6 to B MONTHS... eee eee eee ee 24 to 35 weeks

9 to 11 months
12 to 23 months..
24 to 35 months
36 to 59 montis.....
60 or more months..

36 to 49 weeks
50 to 99 weeks
100 to 149 weeks
150 to 249 weeks
250 or more weeks

‘The median duration of unemployment of wage or salary workers
who were seeking work at the time of the census was seven
months. (The median duration is the number of months which di~
vides the group into two equal parts, one-half having been un-
employed for a shorter period and one-half for a longer period
than the median.) The median duration of unemployment is shown
in diagram 6 for wage or salary workers seeking work, classi-
fied by age. Up to age 35, the median duration was about six
months, but in each successive age group above 36 years the
median was greater, and it exceeded fourteen months in the age
class 75 years and over,

15

A comparison of the medians showm in diagram 6 and the per-
centages unemployed for various age groups of the labor force,
shown in diagram 2, reveals an important difference between the
nature of the unemployment problem of young workers and that of
older workers, The high proportions of workers under 25 years
old who were unemployed at the time of the census were due to
a comparatively rapid turnover in employment, with frequent but
relatively short periods of idleness. Among workers 55 to 64
years old, on the other hand, unemployment apparently ocourred
less frequently, but those who lost their Jobs experienced rel-
atively great difficulty in finding another job, and tended to
remain unemployed for comparatively long periods.

In the interpretation of these figures, 1t should be borne
in mind that some of the persons seeking work who had been out of
work for very long periods, especially in the groups past the
norjial age of retirement, probably had little or no chance of
returning to work. It should also be borne in mind that a con-
Siderable proportion of the wage or salary workers seeking work,
especially in the age groups under 25 years, failed to report
duration of unemployment, and it 1s probably not safe to assume
that the periods of unemployment of persons who failed to report
were similar to those which were reported.

CHARACTERISTICS OF PERSONS WITH A JOB BUT NOT AT WORK

Enumerators were instructed to classify as "ith a job but
not at work," persons reported as not seeking work who were
temporarily idle because of vacation, short illness, bad weath-
er, industrial dispute, or lay-off for a period not exceeding
four weeks with definite instructions to return to work on a
specific date. Persons reported in this category were classi-
fied as employed in the 1940 census tabulations because most of

DIAGRAM 6— MEDIAN DURATION OF UNEMPLOYMENT FOR WAGE OR SALARY WORKERS SEEKING WORK,

BY AGE,FOR THE UNITED STATES:

MARCH 1940

16

=

so

MEDIAN DURATION OF UNEMPLOYMENT IN MONTHS.

I
i
i
i
i

o
t

5
T
7
1
i
i
T

14 ANDI5 IGANOI7 IBANDID 2OTOZ4 25TOZD BOTOS4 351044 451054 551064 G5TO 74 75AND OVER

AGE

IN YEARS

SOURCE! TABLE 38

* For a statement of the reasons for the conversion to months and
‘the procedures used, see “Months worked in 1939," above, In addition,
‘there was evidence of a tendency to report very long durations of un-
euployment in multiples of 50 weeks, indicating that some onunerators
had calculated the number of weeks by multiplying a given number of
years by 50. To take account of this tendency, the classes designated
as 12 to 25 months, 24 to $5, 36 to 59 months, and 60 or more months,
representing 1, 2, 5 and 4, and 5 or more years, respectively, were
80 designed that the weekly equivalent of any given number of years
would always fall in the same interval, whether the conversion was
made on the basia of 50 or 52 weeks per year,

‘them were persons who had been idle for only a brief period and
would presumably return to work within a short time. In some
cases, however, because of misunderstandings on the part of
enumerators and informants, persons who had been out of work
for relatively long periods were classified as having a job. It
was especially difficult for enumerators to make the proper
classification for seasonal workers not working at the time of
the census, and for persons laid off for long periods on ac-
count of industrial breakdowns, lack of orders, etc., The num
ver of persons reported as witha job but not at work was
relatively, large in seasonal industries and in industries in



|
|
|

10 THE LABOR FORCE—SAMPLE STATISTICS

decrease in the labor force, so that both the number and the
Proportion unemployed dwindled to small figures at ages over 70.

‘The unemployed do not include older men who had given up the
search for jobs because they could not compete with younger
workers. Men who lost their jobs at ages over 65 tended to re-
tire from the lator force, so that at the upper limit of the
age scale, the labor force was composed almost exclusively of
employed workers, the majority of whom were employers and self-
employed persons not subject to the risk of being dismissed.

For women, the variations in unemployment from age to age
were somewhat different from those formen, because women tended
‘to leave the labor force at an earlier age. ‘The majority of
the women in the labor force, employed and unemployed alike,
Were under 30 years of age. Between 30 and 60 years, the num
ber of unemployed women became gradually smaller at’ successive
ages, remaining at an almost constant proportion of the female
labor force, At ages 60 and over, the decrease from age to age
in the number of women unemployed was greater than the decrease
in the female labor force, so that the proportion of women
unemployed fell off.

Unemployment rates were higher for nonwhites than for whites.
Persons reported as seeking work or on public emergency work
represented 16,8 percent of the nonwhite labor force, and 14.0
percent of the white (table 11). This differential in the in-
idence of unemployment in the two racial groups existed in
spite of the fact that a relatively large part of the nonwhite
Population lives in farming areas, where it was comparatively
easy to find some work, if only as an unpaid helper on the fam
fly farm, The difference wes mich greater in urban areas,
where 23.1 percent of the nonwhite and only 14.5 percent of the
white labor force were reported as unemployed. In rural-farm
areas, the unemployment rate was lover for nonwhite workers
than Tor whites.

Unemployment was especially severe among nonvhite workers in
the Northern cities. In urban areas of the North Central
States, 23.8 percent of the nonwhite labor force were seeking
work or on public emergency work, as compared with 13.7 percent
for the whites (table 14). Nonwhites in Northern cities were
handicapped in the competition for employment by the preference
of most employers for white workers, and by their comparative
lack of education and skill. Large proportions of them were
unskilled laborers and domestic service workers--occupations
in which unemployment rates were comparatively high.

Household relationships of employed and unemployed workers.—
statistics on employment status of persons in the labor force
by household relationship are given in this report in order to
Indicate the incidence of unemployment emong workers with de-
pendents. Additional information on this subject is presented
in the publications giving statistics for families,

Unenployment was comparatively uncommon among household
heads, most of whom were breadwinners responsible for supporting
a family, and among self-supporting groups such as lodgers and
other nonrelatives of heads. Only 11.1 percent of the male
heads of households in the labor force were reported as seeking
work or on public emergency work, whereas the corresponding
figure for male relatives of heads was 23,8 percent, and for
female relatives (other than wives), 19.7 percent. Moreover,
‘the proportion unemployed was considerably lower for male heads
who were married and living with their wives, of whom 10.7 per-
cent were unemployed, than for other male heads, of whom 15.6
Percent were unemployed (table 19),

‘These differences are attributable partly to the fact that
most of the relatives of heads were young persons, tut by no
means all of the differential was due to this factor, since the
proportions unemployed in each separate age class were much
higher for male reletives than for household heads. Special
consideration for persons with dependents on the part of em-
ployers hiring and laying off workers was probably an important
cause of the differences. Other factors were the relatively
high proportion of employers and own-account workers among
household neads, and differences in the occupational character-
istics of workers in the various relationship categories.

Wives of household heads presented an exception to the rule
of comparatively high unemployment rates for the relationship
groups composed primarily of dependents; only 6.3 percent of
‘the wives in the labor force were reported as seeking work or
on public emergency work, The figures for wives seeking work
were probably reduced by a tendency on the part of some enumer-
ators to return wives as engaged in own home housework and not
in the labor force if they were not actually employed during
the census week, neglecting the possibility that they might
have been also seeking work.

The proportion of unemployed workers responsible for the
support. of dependents 1s an important consideration in the

analysis of the economic impact of unemployment, and of the re~
sulting need for public assistance. In March 1940, 43,4 per-
cent of the persons reported as seeking work or on public
emergency work were household heads; 44,8 percent were sons,
daughters, and other relatives, except wives, of heads; and 2.7
percent were wives of heads. The remaining 9.1 percent were
boarders, lodgers, residents of institutions, and other persons
not related to household heads. A relatively large proportion
of the unemployed heads of households were on public emergency
work because preference in emergency work assignments was usual-
ly given to the principal famtly breadwinners.

CLASS OF WORKER AND MAJOR OCCUPATION GROUP

Class-of-worker categories.— In the tables in this report
giving statistics by class of worker, the experienced labor
force is subdivided into wage or salary workers, employers and
own-account workers, and unpaid family workers. For employed
workers and for persons on public emergency work, the classifi-
cation by class of worker refers to their current work or Job
during the week of March 24 to 30, 1940. For experienced work-
ers seeking work, it refers to the last job of 1 month or more,
New workers are not classified by class of worker. The compo-
sition of each category is descrived below:

Wage or salary workers.— This class consists of persons
who in their current’ or lest job, worked es employees for
wages or salary (in cash or kind), It includes not only
factory operatives, laborers, clerks, ete., who worked for
wages, but also persons working for tips or for room and
voard, salesmen and other employees working for commissions,
end salaried business managers, corporation executives, and
government officials, All persons whose current or latest
jobs were on public emergency work are classified as wage
or salary workers,

Employers and own-account workers.— This group consists
of persons who, in their current or latest work, operated
their own business enterprises. Tt includes not only the
owner-operators of large stores and manufacturing establish-
ments, Dut also small merchants, independent craftsmen,
farmers, professional men, peddlers, and other persons con-
ducting enterprises of their own, It does not include mana-
gers paid to operate businesses owned by other persons or by
corporations; such workers are classified as wage or salary
workers,  Enunerators were instructed to classify es employ-
ers, Persons who employed one or more wage or salary workers
in their business enterprises, and to return as own-account
workers those who employed no helpers. Examination of the
returns revealed, however, that many enumerators had failed
to distinguish properly between these two groups, and there-
fore, the two categories are combined,

‘Unpaid family workers.—This class is composed of persons
who assisted without pay on farms or in stores or other en-
terprises operated by other members of their families. The
great majority of unpaid family workers are farm laborers.
The class-of-worker composition of the labor force, by sex,

14s shown in table VI. Wage or salary workers constituted 77.0
percent of the labor force in Maroh 1940, The labor force was
composed of 40,774,860 wage or salary workers (including
2,452,440 persons reported as on public emergency work),
16,021,500 employers and own-account workers, 1,438,940 unpaid
family workers, and 730,980 new workers.

Teble VI. CLASS OF WORKER OP PERSONS IN THB LABOR FORCE, BY SEX, FOR
‘Tae UNDTED STATES: MARCH 1940

[Stetiatton based on a Supereent onapls]

PEROEN?
NOMEER DISTRIBUTION
TASS OF WORKER x
yi y em
Total | Mat Fenele | Toten | Mate} TOr,

In Anbor foroessss++ ++
Experienced labor force

'52,966,260}39, 958,800] 18,007, 480] 100,0}100,0) 200.0

Wage or salary worke1 }40,774,860]20, 481,740|22,319, 120]
‘Baphoyed (exo. energ.

joeking Work.-...4 2 ,420|27 ,458,200|10,964, 220]

on public exergency work... 18,540} "448, 900]

lmployers and omn-acoount wor 88,400)

‘Unpaid family worker...
ow workers,

428,800)
498,820] 292,660]

In rural areas, the class-of-worker composition of the labor
force differs enormously from that in urban areas, because of
differences in occupational characteristics and in the organi-



AGE IN YEARS

THE LABOR FORCE—SAMPLE STATISTICS

DIAGRAM |.~ EMPLOYMENT STATUS OF PERSONS |4 TO 74 YEARS OLD, BY SINGLE YEARS
OF AGE AND SEX, FOR THE UNITED STATES: MARCH 1940

74

70)

65

60

55

50

45

40)

35

30

25)

20

14
v4

(Based on smoothed age distributions)

14

MALE

70

5

FEMALE

oe ~—160

——] 55

50

45

40

35

30

25

a)
T
|

4

00-—«1200 1000s 800s

EMPLOYED (EXCEPT ON
PUBLIC EMERGENCY WORK)

Ls]

400 400

200 Ly 200
THOUSANDS

SEEKING WORK AND ON
PUBLIC EMERGENGY WORK

SouRCE: TABLE

600

800 100012001400

NOT IN
LABOR FORGE

ia

SUV3A NI 390

£
|



if

i

CONTENTS
DETAILED TABLES

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND HOUSEHOLD RELATIONSHIP

Table
l.--Persons in the labor force and persons employed
(except on public emergency work), by single
years of age, color, and sex, for the United
States, urban and rural: March 1940......se+00-
‘Labor force status of the population, by age,
color, and sex, for regions; urban and rura’
March 1940,
‘Labor force 8
relationship, age, color, and sex, for .the
United States, urban and rural: March 1940.
4.--Percent of population in the labor force for var~
ious household relationship groups, by age,
color, and sex, for the United States, urban and
ural: March 1940....esssecsscuscesensceeaesees
5.--Labor force status of the population by household
relationship, age, color, and sex, for regions,
urban and rural: March 1940....sscseesseens
6,--Porcent of population in the labor force for’ var
ious household relationship groups, by age,
color, and sex, for regions, urban and rural:
March 1940....,+ Seeeeeeneeeee .
Labor force status of the population, by marital
status, age, color, and sex, for the United
States, urban and rural: March 1940....ssseseee
8,--Labor force status of the population, by marital
status, age, and sex, for regions, urban and
rural (with nonwhite for the South): March 1940
9,--Labor force status of the population, by relation-
ship to head of household, marital status, age,
colot, and sex, for the United States, urban and
rural: March 1940....-sssssssseesenesseeees
lo.--Labor foree status of the population, by relation
ship to head of househo'd, marital status, age,
color, and sex, for regions, urban and rural:
March 1940..sseceeeeeseeecneeeenseneeeeeseerenes

EMPLOYMENT STATUS, CLASS OF WORKER,

AND MAJOR OCCUPATION GROUP
11.--Enployment status of persons in the labor force,
by class of worker, age, color, and sex, for the
United States, urbai and rural: March 1940.....
12,--Percent distribution by employment status of per-
song in the labor force, and percent distribu-
tion by class of worker of employed persons, by
age, color, and sex, for the United States,
urban and rural! March 1940....sssesessesseeees
18.--Percent distribution by age of persons in the
labor force, employment status, class of worker,
color, and sex, for the United States, urban and
vural: March 1940...
14.--Hmployment status of persons
vy class of worker, age, color, and sex, for
regions, urban and rural: March 1940.......
15.-Percent distribution by employment status of per-
sons in the lavor force, and percent distribu-
tion by class of worker of employed persons, by

in the lebor force,

age, color, and sex, for regions,: urban and
rural: March 1940..sseseeeeesseceueesenseeseons,
16.--Percent distribution by age of persons in the

labor force, employment status, class of worker,
and sex,

for Fogions, urban and rural:

17.--Enployment status of persons 14 to 24 yoars ola,
by single years of age, color, and sex, for the
United States, urban and rural: March 1940.
18.~-Employment status of persons 14 to 24 years old,
by single years of age and sex, for regions,
urban’ and rural (with nonwhite for the South):
March 1940..+sessseeseceeserens
19.+-Employment status of persons in the labor fore,
by household relationship, age, color, and sex,
for the United States, urban and rural: March
190. re eeee rere .
20.--nployaens status of’ persons in the labor force
not living in private households, by age, color,
and sex, for the United States, urban and rural:
March 1940

Page

Ww

25

29

31

383

41

45

85

87

68

7m

14

90

96

99

106

pen

EMPLOYMENT STATUS, CLASS OF WORKER, AND
‘Table MAJOR OCCUPATION GROUP-Continued.

21,--Enployment status of persons in the labor force,
by household relationship, age, and sex, for
regions, urban and rural (with nonwhite for the
South): March 1940... ..sssessseeeeeserensen eres
22,--Euployment status of persons in the labor force,
by marital status, age, color, and sex, for the
United States, urban and rurel: March 1940,
Percent distribution by marital status of persons
in the labor force, and percent of labor force
employed (except on public emergency work), for
various marital status groups, by age, color,
and sex, for the United States, uroan and rural:
March 1940...+sssesereeseeeee snesea eases
24,--Hmployment status of persons in the labor force,
by relationship to head of household, marital
status, ags, color, and sex, for the United
States, urban and rural: March 1940...... :
25,--Hmployment status of persons in the labor force,
by relationship to head of household, marital
status, age, and sex, for regions, urban and

rurel (with nonwhite for the South): March 1940
26,--Class of worker and major occupation group of
employed persons (except on public emergency
work), by household relationship, age, color,

nd sex, for the United States, urban and rural:

March 1940. ...sceeesceseceertecercetececes Porrers
27,--Percent distribution by class of worker and major
occupation group of employed persons (except

on public emergency work), by houschold rela-
tionship, age, color, and sex, for the United
States, urban and rural: March 1940.....0.ee0+
28,-Class of worker and major occupation group of
employed persons (except on public emergency
work), by household relationship, age, and sex,

for regions (with nonwhite for the South)?

March 1940......++6

PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT

29,--Hours worked during week of March 24-30, 1940, by
persons at work (except on public emergency
work), by age, color, and ser, for the United
States, urban and rural.s.ssesteeeie soeee
80,-Houra worked during week of Mareh 24-80, 1940, by
persons at work (except on public eexgency
work), by age and sex, for regions, urban and
rural (with nonwhite for the South).....+
S1.Months worked in 1989 by persons 14 yoare old and
over (except persons in institutions), by em
ployment status end class of worker in March
1940, color and sex, for the United States,
urban and rural.. eae eeeeene
82,--lonths worked in 1939 by percons 14 yeare old end
over (except persons in institutions), by em-
ployment status and class of worker in March
1940, and sex, for regions, urban and rural
(with nonwhite for the South) ...secseseeseeeeree
83,.-Months worked in 1939 by persons who were wage or
salery workers in March 1940 (except persons on
public emergency work), by age, color, and sex,
for the United States, urban and rural.....
84,--Months worked in 1989 by persons who were wage or
salary workers in March 1940 (except persons on
public aergency work), by household relation-
ship, age, color, and sex, for the United
States, urban and TUral..sssseeseseserseeeneeess

DURATION OF UNEMPLOYMENT

35,--Duration of unemployment of wage or salery workers
seeking work, by age, color, and sex, for the
United States, urban and rural: March 1940.....
86.--Percent distribution by duration of unemployment
of wage or salery workers seeking work, by age,
color, and sex, for the United States, urban and
rural: March 1940.....
87,--Duration of unenploynent of wage or salary workers
seeking work, by sex, forregions, urban and
rural (with Bonvhite | for the South): March 1940

Page

Lee

124

187

14.

144

uaz

154

187

164

167

7h

wa

Ww?


CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
Page
Employment status--Continued

Experienced labor force........+ : 8

AreaS.sys.0eee Personal characteristics of employed and unemployed
Availability of ‘napublished data. WOFKOLS. ee cecccueesecenceseceoseeeeess eee 8

Labor force classifications... Household relationships of cnployed ‘and unemployed
Personal characteristics.....+++ workers. . : 10
Age and sex. Clase of worker and major occupation group 10
Color....++ Class-of-worker categorios...++++.+++ vee 10
Household relationship... Enployment status of class-of-worker groups........ 11

Household relationship classification.
Marital status classification.. seeeesenes
Labor force status of household relationship groups

Personal characteristics of class-of-worker groups. 11
Household relationships of class-of-worker groups.. 11
Occupations of workers in various household rela-

ig
S
DOD B2IHAD FAReRROBOHHEHS

Trends in size and composition of the labor force...... tionship groups. ++... cone 12
Comparability of 1940 data on the labor force with Part-time employment... . iz
previous census data for gainful workers. . Hours worked during the conaus wadk 12
Labor force trends by age and sex...., ” Months worked in 1989. 1
‘Trends in the nonwhite labor force.....s++++ Personal characteristics of part-time workers. 14
Increase of married women in the labor force Household relationships of part-time workers. 4
Employment status... eroeverys Duration of unemploymont..seesseeseesesern eevee 4
Employment status categories. Characteristics of persons with a job but not at work., 15
Misolassification of persons on public emergency Characteristics of persons for whom employment status
WOrKssseeseceseee was not reported... wee sesseeeceeeeess 16
Number of unenploysd Differences between results of sample tabulation and
New workers....+. Complete COUNt. seeseeseeeseeeee sessneesseesens 16

MAP AND DIAGRAMS

Map of the United States showing regions, divisions, and States,.... .
Diagram 1,--Employment status of persons 14 to 74 years old, by single years of age and sox,”
Merch 1940.. Peprereerreeeseeverrerrererrertrrerrrcrec treat rrttr eds
Diagram 2.--Percent of labor force seeking work and on public emergency work, by age, for the United State: March
194. severeceee

teens Pee ERO TESECOOOCESOOOESeSy 9
Diegran 3,--Percent distribution by class of worker for the experienced labor force, by age, for the
March 1940.,... Perreeereererereeeriverererereverierecervecer rrr ecrrrretrreetrtrtere rrr s terre rei t tt aa
Diagran 4,--Percent reporting less than 40 hours worked during the week of March 24 to 80, 1940, by hours worked, for
persons at work, by age and sex, for the United States Prrrerereres + 18
Diagren 5.--Percent reporting less then 12 monthe work in 1939 by months worked, for persons who were wage or salary
workers in March 1940, by age, for the United States....... rerrrererere rites »
Diegran 6,--Medien duration of unemployment for wage or salary workers gecking work, by age, for the United State:
March 1940, saeennes saben eenennee sees 18

TEXT TABLES

Table :
I,--Labor force status of persons 14 years old and over, by sex, for the United States, urban and rural: March 1940 3
Il.--Percent of population in the labor force, by household relationship, age, and sex, for the United States: March

veces 5

1900'and'i980, “by age and

population in the labor force, March 1940, and percent gainful workers
sex, for the United Statessescecseees

ereTrerererrerreri rarest ited) wee 6
IV,--Percent of population in the labor force, March 1940, and percent gainful workers, 1980, by age, sex, and color,
for the United States...cscessessscessseussecsssscseseuseecsenseseseesenees teteversenes 7
V,--Enployment status of persons in the labor force, for the United States, urban and rural: March 140 8
Vi.--Glass of worker of persons in the lebor force, by sex, for the United States: March 1940...... 20
VIt.--Fercent secking work or on emergency Wor, for all persons in the labor fores and for wage or salary workers, by
sex, for the United States, urban and rural: March 1940...sesssseeeesees seeseeeteeeserseeseneeese LL
VIII,--Months worked in 1989 by persons 14 years old and over (except Persone in institutions), by employment statue in
March 1940, for the United States sa eneeeeee 14
Di.--Persons with 'e jod but not at work, by class of worker and sox, for the United
UMD. ceeeeceveserseeteceseesensecneseonerseeeeraeaeeneneee settee Dee eeeeeraeeeenaes 1s
X,--Sample tabulation and complete count, for persons 14 years old and over, by employment status and sex, for the
United States, urban and rural: March 1940...ssssssesvenseeeenesesaecueneenes “ teens 16

wv

|
|
i
4



i
é

Waterers

INTRODUCTION il

zation of trade and industry. In urban areas, wage or salary
workers formed 88.6 percent of the experienced lator force, and
only 10.8 percent were employers and own-account workers (table
11). Tm rural-nonfarm areus, employers and own-account workers
constituted 14.2 percent of the experienced lator force; in
such areas there are many small merchants and Independent black-
smiths, carpenters, repeirmen, ete. In rural-farm areas, 49.7
percent of the experienced labor force were employers and own-
account workers, the great majority of whom were farmers; and
11.1 percent of the experienced labor force were unpaid family
workers. In urban and rural-nonfarm areas the proportion of
unpaid family workers was negligible.

In some cases it was difficult for enumerators to determine
accurately the class of worker, Wage or salary workers in some
occupations, such es salesmen working for commissions, were hard
to distinguish from own-account workers, either on the basis of
the form of compensation or of relationships with employers.
Some enumerators tended to return as’ employers, employees such
as executives, managers, and foremen, who were responsible for
hiring and dismissing other workers. Unpaid family workers
were sometimes classified as own-account workers by enumerators
who regarded all workers in the family enterprise as partners.
The returns were carefully edited with reference to the occupa-
tion and industry returns and other information given on the
schedule, but not all of the inaccuracies could be corrected.
The class-of-worker data should therefore be interpreted with
some caution.

In the tables in this report, persons for whom cless of
worker was not reported have been included among private wage
or salary workers, unless there was evidence ‘to the contrary.
In Volume II of the Reports on Popylation, the number of en-
ployed workers (except those on public emergency work) for whom
class of worker could not be determined was shown separately
for each State, city, and county, The number of employed per-
sons for whom class of worker could not be determined was
239,108, or 0.5 percent of the total employed, according to the
complete count of the census returns.

Employment status of olass-of-worker groups.— Tne risk of
complete unemployment 18 far greater for wage or salary workers
than for employers, own-account workers, and unpaid family
workers because’ the latter groups become totally unemployed
only when they (or their relatives operating the family enter-
prise) are forced out of business, Thus 16.2 percent of the
wage or salary workers in the United States were seeking work
or on public emergency work during the census week, while only
2.3 percent of the employers and own-account workers and 1.5
percent of the unpaid family workers were seeking work (table
11). The comparative immunity of self-employed workers to to-
tal unemployment does not necessarily mean that their economic
situation was favorable, since they may have made very small
gains or even suffered heavy losses while they remained in
business. Similarly, many of the unpaid family workers may
have contributed little to the profits of the family enterprise.
Unpaid family work was often little better than a makeshift
activity for sons and deughters of farmers and of other self-
employed workers when they could not find other employment.
Because of these differences in unemployment risks, the class-
of-worker composition of the labor force should be taken into
account in the analysis of data on employment status.

‘The figures shown in table 11 do not provide the basis for a
precise comparison of the unemployment rates for the various
class-of-worker groups, because persons on public emergency
work, who are by definition wage or salary workers, are in-
cluded in the proportion unemployed for wage or salary workers,
although some of them may have been employers, own-account work-
ers, or unpaid family workers before they became unemployed.
Allowance for this factor, however, would not greatly affect
‘the contrast between the unemployment rates of wage or salary
workers and other workers.

‘The importance of the relationship bdétween the employment
status distribution of the labor force and its class-of-worker
composition is illustrated by table VII, which presents per-
centages of unemployed for the labor force in urban and rural
areas, contrasted with the corresponding percentages for wage
or salary workers,

In rural-ferm areas the proportion of the total labor force
reported in the census as unemployed was much smaller then in
urban areas because the majority of the rural-ferm workers were
employers, own-account workers, and unpaid family workers. For
wage or salary workers, the proportion reported as seeking
work and on public emergency work in rural-farm areas was con~
siderably greater than that in urban areas.

Tt should also be borne in mind that the opportunity to work
as an unpaid helper on the family-farm when other work failed

tended to reduce the volume of total unemployment in farming
areas. Many of the unpaid family workers in rurel-farm areas
would have been engaged in other work if more paid jobs had
been available on neighboring farms or in industry and trade.

Table VII. PERCENT SEEKING WORK OR ON EMBROENCY WORK, FOR ALL PERSONS
‘IN Teil LABOR FOROZ AND FOR WAGE OR SALARY WORKERS, BY SEX, FOR THE
UNITED STATES, URBAN AND RURAL: MARCH 1940

[Statistics based on a S-percent sanpld]

PERORT OF WARE OR SALARY

AREA PURLIC BMEROEWOY WOR ON PUBL TO EMERGINGY WORK
Yale Fouale Mane Founls
1a 15.3 1z.4
16.1 19.5 12.2
18.7 is. 18:0
78 ns Lao

Personal characteristics of class-of-worker groups.— There
is.a tendency for workers to shift from jobs as employees to
independent work as employers and om-account Workers as they
grow older. This tendency 1s illustrated in diegran 3. Very
few persons under 25 years of age were employers or own-account
workers during the census week, but in the succeeding age
groups the proportion of such workers was progressively larger,
so that at ages of 75 years and over they constituted 58.8 per-
cent of the experienced lator force. The shift was most pro-
nounced in rural-farn areas, where the proportion of employers
ond own-account workers was'4.6 percent in the age group 14 to
19 years, and 86,4 percent in the group 75 years old and over
(table 11), In urban areas, the corresponding figures were 1.3
percent in the group 14 to 19 years and 36.6 percent in the
group 75 years old and over, ‘The shift was more marked for
male than for female workers, In all of the ago classes, the
majority of the women in the labor force Were wage or salary
workers.

The high proportion of employers and own-account workers in
tthe upper age groups was attributable mainly to shifts of ind1-
vidual workers from Jobs as employees to the operation of inde~
pendent enterprises, but it was probably also due partly to the
tendency for self-employed workers and employers to remain in
the labor force longer than wage or salary workers.

Nonwhite workers tended to be employed as wage or salary
workers, or as unpaid family workers, to a greater extent than
whites;’ few nonwhites were employers or own-account workers.
In urban areas, only 7.4 percent of the nonwhite experienced
workers, as compared with 11,2 perosnt of the whites, were
employers and own-account workers. In rural~farm areas, the
nonwhite labor force included a smaller proportion of self-en-
ployed workers, and a much larger percentage of unpaid tamily
workers then the white labor force. Unpaid femily workers con~
stituted 38.2 Dercent of the nonwhite and only 10.8 percent of
the white females in the rural-farm experienced jabor force.
‘The corresponding figures for males were 13.3 percent for non—
whites and 9.6 percent for whites. Most nonwhite farmers are
engaged in relatively small farming operations, in which they
rely to a large extent upon family labor.

Household relationships of class-of-worker_groups.— The ma~
jority of employers and self-employed workers are heads of
households. Employers and own-account workers made up 32.4
percent of the male and 22.6 percent of the female heads of
households who were employed (except on public emergency work)
during the census week. The corresponding proportion for male
relatives of heads was 12.4 percent; for wives of heads it was
11.0 percent, and for female relatives other than wives, only
3.4 percent (table 27). ‘The tendency for employers and own~
account workers to be heads of households is explained partly
py the fact that both housshold heads and employers. and own-
account workers are groups composed primarily of older men, and
partiy by the fact that in a family enterprise, the person re-
sponsible for the operation of the business is likely to be re-
garded as the household head.

‘Te distribution ty household relationship of unpaid tantly
workers diftered markedly in urban and rural areas, In rural-
farm areas, 91.2 percent of the unpaid family workers employed
during the census week were sons, daughters, and other rela-
tives (except wives) of heads, and only 8.2 percent were wives
of heads. In urban areas, the employment’ of children in family
enterprises was mich less common; here wives of heads, chiefly
the wives of retail store proprietors, made up, 57.7 percent of



EMPLOYMENT AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

INTRODUCTION

GENERAL

This report presents deteiled nationel and regional data
on employment and unemployment according to personal chsracter-
istics and household relationships, based on tabulations of a
Tive-percent sample of the returns of the’ Sixteenth Decennial
Census of Population, . taken in April 1940, Statistics on
employment status and hours Worked during the census week (that
is, the week of March 24 to 20, 1940), months worked in 1939,
duration of unemployment, class of worker, and major occupation
group are presented by age, sex, color, and household relation~
ship, for the United States and four broad regions by urban and
rural residence.

These statistics show the principal relationships between
employment of individuals and their personal characteristics
and fumily relationships, during a period of large-scale unem-
ployment. Statistics showing the proportion in the labor force
for various population groups in 1940 are useful for estimating
the size and character of the actual and potential supply of
labor, Data on the characteristics of workers who were wholly
or partly unemployed at the tiie of the census, and on the
length of their unemployment, are useful in the analysis of un-
employment problems.

Related reports. —This is one of @ series of reports which
will be published under the general title, "The Labor Force--
Sample Statistics." These reports supplement the labor force
data presented in Volume III of the Sixteenth Census Reports on
Population, entitled, "The Labor Force." The titles of other
reports in this series, witha brief summary of ‘the subjects
covered, are given below.®

Employment and Family Characteristics of Women: Labor
force status of women by marital status and number of chil~
dren according to age, education, andother personal and fam
ily characteristics, for the United States and regions, and
for metropolitan districts of 100,000 or more.

Occupational Characteristics: Statistics on the ocoupa~
tional characteristics of the labor force, according to age,
months worked in 1939, and other characteristics, for the
United States and for regions; and the occupational structure
of industries, showing a detailed occupation classification
of employed workers in each industry for the United States.

Wage or Salary Income in 1939: Statistics on,wage or

salary Income and receipt of other income in 1939 for wage
or salary workers by months worked in 1939, age, and other

characteristics, for other persons in the labor force, and

for.persons not in the labor force, for the United States,

geographic divisions, States, and large cities.

Usual Occupation: Usual occupations of persons in the
labor force and of those not in the labor force, including
data for regions, States, and large cities.

Another report, based on sample tabulations, presents 1940
date pertinent to the problems of potential labor supply, and
appears under the title indicated below.

Characteristics of Persons Not in the Labor Fores: Sex,
age, color, marital status, household relationship, and date
on previous employment, for persons not in the labor force,
with an analysis of potential labor supply, for the United
States and regions.

Data on the characteristics of the lebor force for States
and cities of 100,000 or more, based on complete tabulations of

4 Me 1940 Population Ceneus schedule is reproduced in Part 1 of Yol~
ume IIT and Part 1 of Volume JV of the Sixteenth Census Reports onFopu-
lation. ‘The instructions to enumerators are also reproduced in tl
volumes.

* At the time this report goes to press (June 1945) the reports re~
ferred to in this paragraph are in various stages of completion, and
At ds possible thet changes may be made before publication,

employment ty sex and color;

the census returns, are presented in Volume III of the Sixteenth
Census Reports on Population. This volume gives less detailed
data than those presented here, on employment status by sex, age,
color, and marital status, and on class of worker, hours worked
in the census week, months worked in 1939, and duration‘of un-
together with statistics on occu-
pation, industry, and wage or salary income in 1939.

Additional statistics on personal characteristics of the
labor force are presented in Volume IV of the Reports on Popu-
lation, entitled "Population Characteristics by Age," which int
cludes data on employment status, and on school attendance of
employed workers, by age, sex, and color (in selected areas),
for States and cities of 100,000 or more.

Condensed labor force statistics for cities and other urban
places, metropolitan districts, and counties are given in Vol-
ume II of the Reports on Population, entitled "Characteristics
of the Population," which includes data on employment status,
class of worker, major occupation group, and industry group, by
sex and by color in selected areas,

Labor force data for families are presented in the series of
reports published under the general title, "Families," based on
tabulations of samples of the returns of the 1940 Censuses of
Population and Housing. Among the reports in this series which
present labor force statistics are the following:?

General Characteristics: Statistics for heads of families
vy employment status, major occupation group, and other
characteristics; and for families classified according to
amily employment status, labor force status of children 14
to 17 years old, class-of-worker composition, family wege or
salary income in 1939, and other characteristics; for States,
cities of 100,000 or more, and metropolitan districts of
200,000 or more.

Employment Status: Data for families by number and em-
ployment status of persons in the labor force by character-
istics of the family and of the family head, for regions and
cities of 1,000,000 or more.

Family Wage or Salary Income in 1939: Statistics on wage
or salary income and receipt of other income in 1989 for
families classified by characteristics of the family and of
‘the head, for regions and cities of 1,000,000 or more.

Aredg.— Most of the statistics in this report are presented
for the United States and for four regions: (a) the Northeast-
‘arn States, comprising the New Englend and Middle Atlantic Di-
visions; (bp) the North Central States, comprising the East
North Central and West North Central Divisions; (c) the South,
comprising the South Atlantic, Bast South Central, and West
South Central Divisions; and (d) the West, comprising the Moun-
tain and Pacific Divisions. In some cases figures for regions
are omitted or are presented in condensed form because sampling
variations are relatively large in the detailed cross-classif1-
cations for regions.

All of the statistics ere presented separately for urban,
yurel-nonfarm, and rural-farm ares, Urban population, as de-
fined by the Bureau of the Census, is in general that residing
in cities and other incorporated places having 2,500 inhabitants
or more. The remainder of the population is classified as
rural, and is subdivided into the rural-farm population, which
comprises all rural residents living on farms, and the rural-non-
farm population, which comprises the remaining rural population.

Availability of unpublished date.—Some of the data obtained
trom the tabulations upon which the tables in this report are
based have not been published, because larger sampling errors
are to be expected in the more detailed cross-classifications
for categories containing only @ small number of persons. For
‘this reason, some of the more detailed tables are presented for
the United States only, and statistics for nonwhites in the
Northeastern States, the North Central States, and the West

1



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
JESSE H. JONES, Secretary
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS

J. 0. CAPT, Director (Appointed May 22, 1941)
WILLIAM LANE AUSTIN, Director (Rotized January 31, 1941)
PHILIP M. HAUSER, Assistant Director

SIXTEENTH CENSUS OF THE UNITED STATES : 1940

POPULATION

THE LABOR FORCE

(Sample Statistics)

Part |: Generai Unaracteristics

Bureau of the Census
Library

Prepared under the supervision of

Dr. LEON E. TRUESDELL
Chief Statistician for Population

UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 1943

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U, 8. Government Printing Offive, Washington, D. C.



t
:

4 THE LABOR FORCE—

terpreting census figures on the lebor force status of the pop-
ulstion according to sex and age, Since most women are normal-
ly engaged at least to some extent in home housework, those
with part-time jobs may sometimes have been reported as engaged
in own home housevork and not in the letor force, Likewise,
some women who had lost their jobs and were keeping house while
looking for another employment opportunity may heve been clas-
sified as engaged in own home, housework instead of as seeking
work. The difficulty in-classification was especially great in
rural-farm areas, where 1t is often very hard to distinguish
between work for pay or profit or unpaid family work on the one
hand, and incidental farm chores end ov home housework on the
other,

Many students working part time after school hours were
probably reported as in school and not in the lator force, and
it was doubtless difficult in many cases to determine whether @
Person attending school was also seeking work, A very large
Proportion of the persons on the NYA Student Work Program were
Probably reported as in school instead of on public emergency
work, On the other hand, a considerable number of students in
farming areas who performed only incidental farm chores after
school may have been included in the labor force as unpaid fam-
ily workers.

For persons 65 years and over, and to some extent for those
85 to 64 years old, it was difficult to draw the line between
able-bodied persons seeking work and disabled and retired per-
sons no longer in the labor force. Moreover, many men in these
age groups at the time of the census had been forced into re-
tirement because of their inability to compete with younger
workers, although they were stil) able and willing to work.
These prematurely retired workers should be considered as part
of the nation's unused labor supply, although they were not
actively seeking work at the time of the census,

Color — Because of the great differences between whites and
nonwhites in economic status, occupational characteristics, and
employment status, all of the detailed tables for the United
States and for the South include separate statistics for non-
whites, that is, for the total of Negroes, Indians, Chinese,
Japanese, and other nonwhite races. Statistics on employment
status by age and sex are also shown for nonwhites in the North
eastern Stetes, the North Central States, and the West, but
most of the tables for these three regions do not include data
for nonwhites because of the relatively small nonwhite popula-
‘tion in these regions. The great majority of the nonwhites are
Negroes, except in the West, where there are many Indians,
Chinese, and Japanese. Persons of Mexican birth or ancestry
who Were not definitely Indian or of other nomwiite race were
returned as white in 1940, Such persons were designated as
Mexican in 1930 (but not in prior censuses), and were included
in the general class of "Other races.”

In the nonwhite population, children, women, and aged per-
sons participate in the labor market to a much greater extent
‘than do the whites in the same age and sex groups. The tenden-
ey for nonwhite youths to enter the lator market at a compara~
tively early age is shown by the fact that 46.1 percent of the
nonwhite boys 16 and 17 years old were in the labor force dur-
ing the census week, as contrasted with 27.4 percent of the
white boys of these ages (table 1), ‘There is also a greater
‘tendency for nonwhite children in rural-farm areas to be em-
ployed part time while attending school, which accentuates the
difference between the figures for the two color groups.

Nonwhite women stowed a marked tendency to remain in the la~
bor force longer than white women, © The proportion of nonwhite
women in the labor force was almost the seme in all of the age
groups between 20 end 44 years, whereas for white women, the
Proportion in the labor force reached a maximum at age 20, and
was much smaller in each succeeding age group. This difference
can be attributed partly to economic factors, and partly to the
fact that nonwhite women are employed largely as domestic
servants and farm laborers--dcoupations in which opportuni~
ties for the employment of older women are comparatively
favorable,

In rural areas, nonwhite men showed a tendency to remain in
the labor force somewhat longer than white men, In the age
group 65 to 69 years, 82.8 percent of the nonwhite and 75.3 per-
cent of: the white men in rural-farm areas were still in the la~
bor force, ‘The age of retirement for men in urban areas, on
the other hand, tended to be somewhat earlier for nonwhites
than for whites. This difference was probably due partly to
poor health conditions among the urban nonwhites, causing a
high disability rate for aged nonwhite men, and partly to the
insecurity of employment resulting from the comparatively low
proportion of self-employed workers and employers in the urban
nonwhite labor force.

SAMPLE STATISTICS

HOUSEHOLD RELATIONSHIP

The household composition of the population plays a large
part in determining the normal size of the labor force. The
normal role of an individual as a breadwinner, @ homemaker, or
a dependent is often fixed so rigidly by his age and family re~
lationship that {t cannot easily be adjusted to changes in
lebor market conditions. The data on labor forge status accord—
ing to household relationship shown’ in this report illustrate
the relation between family responsibilities and employment,
and indicate the family problems involved in a major expansion
of the labor force.

Household relationship classification. — The classification
by household relationship is based on the marital status of the
individual and his relationship to the head of the household in
which he lived. ‘The following relationship categories are
shown in the tables in this report:

(1) Head_of private household, — The term "private house~
hold," as used in the 1940 census, includes the related family
members and the unrelated lodgers, servants, or hired hands who
live in the same dwelling unit and share common housekeep—
ing arrangements. 4 person living alone, or @ small group
of unrelated persons sharing the same living quarters as
"partners" is also counted as a private household. A family
residing permanently or for an indefinite period in an apart~
ment hotel is counted as a private household.

One person in each private household was designated as
the household head, that is, the person regarded as the head
by the members of the household. The head of a private
household ig usually a married man and the chief breadwinner
or “economic head" of the family. In some cases, however,
the head is a parent of the chief earner or is the only adult
member of the household. If both husband and wife were pres~
ent in the household, the husband rather than the wife was
to be designated as the head. . Some heads were persons liv-
ing alone, who may have had no dependents, and some were un-
attached individuals sharing living accommdations with
“partners .""

(2) Wife of nead.— This category comprises the wives of
heads of private households.

(3) Other relative of _head.— This group includes sons,
daughters, parents, grandchildren, brothers and sisters, and
all other persons (except wives) related by blood, marriage,
or adoption to the head of the household in which they lived.
Persons 14 to 17 years old are classified separately irom
adult relatives 18 years old and over,

(4) Not relative of head.— This category comprises lodg-
ers, servants, and other persons living in private house~
holds but not related to the household head.

(5) Not in private household.— This category comprises
persons living in quasi households, including inmates of
penal and mental institutions and homes for the aged, in-
firm, and needy; residents, other than inmates, of such in-
stitutions; and other persons not in private households,
such a8 ‘residents of boarding or lodging houses, the tran-
sient population of @ hotel, and persons living in schools,
hospitals, labor camps, military and naval posts, monaster—
ies, and convents.

The last two groups are combined in some of the tables in
this report to form the category "Not relative of head, or not
in private household.” Bach of the categories is further
classified by marital status, to show more precisely the status
of the individual in the family and to give a clearer indica~
tion of probable responsibility for dependents. The few
married women with husbands present who were classified as
household heads are not shown separately; these cases resulted
from occesional errors in classification.

‘The statistics on household relationship given here differ
from family statistics in that the data stown here are classi-
fications of individuals, rather than of entire families as
units. Statistics for familids are presented in other pub-
lications, in which the labor force status of family heads,
wives, and other family members 1s presented in relation to
‘the composition and characteristics of the family.

Marital status classification. — In the classification by
marital status four classes are distinguished: (a) Single, (b
married, spouse present, (c) married, spouse absent, and (d)
widowed’ or divorced. A person was Classified as "married,
spouse present! if the person's husband or wife was reported a&
a member of the household in'which the person was enumerated.
The group “married, spouse absent" consists of married persons
whose spouses were not living in’ the same household at the
time of the census, ‘The latter group includes, therefore,


. INTRODUCTION 3

have been omitted from most of the tables, All of the statis-
tics that are presented for the United States are available,
however, in unpublished form for each region.

Some of the data are presented only tor employed persons;
these data have been tabulated also for persons seeking work
and for persons on public emergency work. Statistics on dura~
tion of unemployment are available for persons on public emer-
gency work and for new workers, by age, although only the data
for wage or salary workers seeking work have been published.
Tabulations of months worked in 1939 by age, wiich are presented
here only for the total of wage or salary workers (excluding
‘those on public emergency work), are available for each class-
of-worker category, by employment status during the census week.

Such of the unpublished figures as are considered reliable
can be obtained upon request, for the nominal cost of tran-
soribing or reproducing them. Requests for such unpublished
statistics, addressed to the Director of the Census, Washington,
D. G., will receive a prompt reply, which will include an esti-
mate of the cost of preparing the data.

LABOR FORCE CLASSIFICATION

In the 1940 Census of Population, persons 14 years old and
over were classified on the basis of their activity during the
census Week of March 24 to 30, 1940, into two large groups:
(a) Persons in the labor force, including those at work for pay
or profit or at unpaid family work; those with a job or busi-
ness from which they were temporarily absent; those on public
emergency work; and those seeking work; end (b) persons not in
the labor force. The latter group includes persons reported us
engaged in own home housework, in school, or unable to work;
seasonal workers for whom the census week fell in anoff-season,
and who were not seeking work; others not employed, nor on pub-
lic emergency work, nor seeking work; all inmates of penal and
mental institutions and homes for the aged, infirm, and needy,
regardless of their activity during the census week; and per-
sons for whom employment status was not reported. For more de-
tailed descriptions of the categories of persons in the labor
force, see "Employment status categories," below.

The labor force. classification of the population 14 years
old and over, by sex, is summarized for the United States and
for urban and rural areas, in table I. Of the 101,015,740 per-
sons 14 years old and over, 52,966,280 were in the labor force
during the census week, and 48,049,460 were not in the labor
force. The labor force was composed of 39,958,800 males, rep-
resenting 79.1 percent of the male population 14 years old and
over, and 13,007,480 female workers, or 25,8 percent of the
female population 14 yedrs old and over (table I). The propor-
‘tion of women in the labor force was considerably larger in
urban than in rural areas.

Table I. LABOR FORCE STATUS OF PERSONS 14 YEARS OLD AND OVER, BY SEX,
FOR THE UNITED STATES, URBAN AND RURAL: MARCH 1940

(otatiotion pesed on a Seporsont saps)

oe ees
ama 0 x ye

a wnver | Perce
fottivesseeeeseeses| toners no | 92,066,800] _saa| 40,049,450
Uhenesssessusvessseseeesesen|) §8/692,660 92,725,680] 84.0 25,950,260
Racgadame ccs] tenet | “Stfenteco| die | Tavativeae
Bimbo) — migen@ | rofaretio0] 49,3 | 20/288,
10,010,010 | 99,800,000] _12.1| 20,505,049
1,290,940 rar] se7,40
Forty ye | afscelsoo
fimernsieissiant isesrieo ma} Mes
s2,4n, 200 as.8|_onanayseo
20,778, 10 tie | ~fi.o74,eH0
ele 0 Sit) nied
Serna iis| diets

Several considerations affect the interpretation of the 1940
census total of persons in the labor force. In the first place,
the census week fell in a season during which agricultural em-
ployment was at a comparatively low level. In the summer and
early fall, the rural-farm labor force is considerably greater
than in March, In the second place, there were 1,987,140 per-
sons for whom employment status was not reported. These have
‘been classified as not in the lebor force, since available evi-
dence indicates that the majority of them were probably engaged
in own home housework or in school. Some of the group, however,

would probably have been classified as in the labor force, if
full information had been obtained. Finally, accurate data on
labor force status are hard to obtain for certain population
groups, especially for women, children, and aged persons, and
for unpaid family workers.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

Age and sex,— Age and sex classifications form an essential
framework for the analysis of labor supply, because these two
personal characteristics tend to determine the normal ecohomic
activities of individuals. A classification by sex 1s there-
fore shown in all of the detailed tables in this report, and
most of the tables include classifications by age, ‘The age
classification is based on age of the person at his last birth-
day before April 1, 1940, that is, age in completed years. In
the 1940 census tabulations the category "age unknown" hes been
eliminated. When the age of a person was not reported, it was
estimated on the basis of other information on the population
schedules, such as marital status, school attendance, employment
status, age of other members in the family, etc.

The labor force status of the population in March 1940, by
single years of age from 14 to 74, 1s illustrated in diagram 1,
In the male population, the number in the labor force was very
small at ages 14 and 15, but grew mich larger in the succeeding
ages, and constituted a majority of the male population at 18
years of age, At age 25 only a small group of males remained
outside the labor force. Between the ages of 25 end 60 years,
the number of men not in the labor force was small, consisting
mostly of disabled men and inmates of institutions. At ages
over 60, the margin of men not in the labor force grew silght—
ly wider at each successive age, as increasing numbers retired
or were forced out of the labor market by old age or disability.
At % years of age only a very small number of men remained in
the labor force.

In the female population, the number in the labor force
reached a maxinum et 20 years, at which age nearly half of the
women were in the labor Toros, After age 22 the female labor
force was smaller in each successive year of age, as increasing
numbers of women entered the group engaged in own home house-
work, At age 45 only one-third as many Women were in the labor
force as at age 20, and in the ages 65 and over the labor force
included only a very small number of women,

In rural-farm areas, boys end girls tend to enter the labor
force at an earlier age than in urtan areas. For males 15
years old, for example, the proportion in the lator force in
March, 1940, was 22.0 percent: in rural-farm areas, and only 4.9
percent in urban areas (table 1), This difference is, attributa-
ble partly to a tendency for young people to leave school
eerlier in rural than in urben ereas, and partly to the compar-
atively favorable opportunities for farm boys and girls to do
part-time work while they are still in school. Nearly half of
the persons under 20 years of age in the rural-farm labor force
were unpaid family workers, many of whom were employed only part
time after school hours.

For farm women between 17 end 67 years of age the proportion
in the labor force was lower than for women in nonfarm conmuni-
ties. For each residence group, the proportion of women in the
labor force was highest at age 20, when 58.8 percent of urban,
38.7 percent of rural-nonfarm, and 25.9 percent of rural-farm
women were in the lebor force, These differences are due part~
ly to the relatively limited opportunities for the full-time
employment of women in farming areas, partly to the more ardu-
ous household duties of women on farms, and partly to the larger
numbers of children in farm families. A great many women in
farming areas, of course, are engaged to some extent in farm
work, if only in minor chores, and many of them are seasonal
workers who enter the labor force for full-time work at certain
times of the year.

The departure of men from the labor force because of dis-
ability and retirement begins earlier and proceeds more rapidly
in urban and rural-nonfarm areas than in the farm population.
In the age group 60 to 64 years, only 77.1 percent of the urban
males were still in the labor foros, but 88,1 percent of the
rural-farm men in this age group were still workers. ‘The point
at which no more than half of the men remained in tho labor
force was reached at 68 years of age in the cities, but not un-
til 75 years on the farms (table 1), This difference oan be
attributed largely to the fact that opportunities for employ-
ment of older workers in agriculture are relatively good, es-
pecially for farm operators, who can continue even at an advanced
age to operate their farms, with the help of their families or
by means of hired labor.

Certain difficulties in the labor forces classification of
women, children, and aged persons should be considered in in-


conan tease sania nanonenet eet TT
FoUSWWOD 30 {NSW Luvdsa “SO
ms,
P y sayopuncg ayes
“a \ sauppunod yorsis\
\ salz0punog vihy——
svxal

WIN 1
!
Le.
BYSNUH
op Gee Ce
VIS(A VULNS yes
weal \. HLYON
eet “Sar
Ly ouva's
\
NNN . —— ee _~
\ yva'N
wa, )
ype
Es

Bina aHL dO

tgnoload ONIMOHS saivis o

*SNOISstAld

saLvls anv


Ran Vet

14 EMPLOYMENT AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

regularly employed for only @ part of the year; and miscella~
neous intermittent workers, such as women who took temporary
Jobs and withdrew from the labor market when not employed. Of
the persons who reported that they had worked in 1939, but had
worked less than twelve months, 8.2 percent were not in the
labor force during the census week.

Table VIII. MONTHS WORKED IN 1939 BY PERSONS 14 YEARS OLD AND OVER
(EXOEPD PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONS), BY MPLOYMENT STATUS IN MARCH
1940, FOR THE UNITED STATES

Population {IN LABOR PORCH, MARCHE 1940

Weiere ot ae
ine er ce terse

iy 1939 {exo. in ‘Seoking ”
rss) nan nsraene| inset
ini reese] “fork | Mal

tuttons)

‘tote

+|99,078,400]52, 968 ,280]46,001,960|2, 452, 4409,192, 480] 46,907,120

Without work in 1939) 8,485, 360}
With work An 1959...) 7,
Lees thin 2 months|

177,140], 718460] 84,582,500
207,580/3,049,020] 2,629,600

2,680 "278,800
85,440 | 258,940} £49,560

31 905,440
984,880] 668,560) 981,920
597,940] 476,080] 250,200
497,740] 415,480) 971,120

[12,114,860] 1,369,840] 985,220 67,720) 967,000] 9,748,020

700}
29 486 , 080]
Work in 1989 not

reported.

Percent Distribatton|

‘Tote 200.0] 100.0] 100.0] _ 100.0] _100.0|___200.0
Without work tn 1939] 38.0 6.5 a4 22} 3904 73.6
With work in 1939... 30.9) 90.9) 94.6] 90.0] 944 3.6
1.0 1 og 8.5 43 0.8
aa ae aan 2.5 49 0.8
1s] Bia Ls 5.0 5.9 0.8
2 455) sis} 19.8] a0.0] 0.7
65 us 20.3] z.0} 16.91 os
73 a's] dass] eae 903) 0.8
30.5] 55.7 68.0) 20.8 Bu BL
eres 2 aa 28 12 20.8

‘The relation between unemployment during the census week and
idleness during the preceding year is illustrated by the fact
that 84.8 percent of the persons seeking work at the time of
thé census reported that they hed not worked, or had worked
less than a full year in 1939; 33.4 percent reported no work in
1939 and 25.2 percent had worked, but less than six months. Of
employed workers (excluding those on public emergency work), on
the other hand, only 35.0 percent reported that they had not
worked, or had worked less than twelve months, and only 3.4
Percent reported no work in 1939,

These figures give only an approximate indication of the
number of months during which the persons were unemployed in
1939, because of three complications, In the first place, the
number of months worked includes months on public emergency
work, so thet some of the persons reporting twelve months worked
in 1939 may have been unemployed during the whole year. In the
second place, some of the months in which persons did not work
may have represented periods during which they were not in the
labor force, Finally, months worked were to be reported in
‘terms of equivalent full-time months, so that for persons work-
ing short hours the number of months worked in 1939 may have
been less then the number of months during which they had some
employment. The last consideration is especially important for
Persons on public emergency work, since the hours of work on
Public energency projects were usually considerably less than
‘those in nonemergency employment.

For employers, own-account workers, and unpaid family work-
ers, data on months worked in 1939 are less significant and
less reliable then those for wage or salary workers. For this
reason, the detailed tables inthis report showing months worked
according to personal characteristics and household relation-
ship are presented only for wage or salary workers (excluding
‘those on public emergency work), Even for this class-of-worker
group, the figures represent only an approximate statement of
‘the amount of work in 1939. Accurate reports frequently could
not be obtained for persons who worked intermittently at many
separate times during the year. In many cases the information
was not obtained from the worker himself, but.from a relative
or other member of the household who may not have been able to
report accurately the amount of employment in 1939, The data
for wage or salary workers, however, are believed to be accu-
rate enough to provide @ valid description of the characteris-
tics of persons who worked only a part of the year 1939.

Personal characteristics of part-time workers.— The rela~
tionship between part-time employment and age is shown in dia~
gram 4, in terms of hours worked by persons at work during the
census week, and in diagram 5, in terms of months worked in
1939 by wage or salary workers. Both diagrams indicate that
part-time work was most prevalent among workers under 20 years
of age, and was also comparatively common among persons nearing
the age of retirement. The relation between age and part-time
work was similar to that between age and unemployment during
the census week (diagram 2), except in the age groups 65 years
and over, In thece oldest groups, part-time employment tended
to increase with advancing age, while unemployment declined be-
cause of retirements from the labor force.

‘The exceedingly high proportion of persons under 20 years
old who worked less than 30 hours during the census veek was
due largely to the employment of students in part-time jobs
outside of school hours. The lerge proportion of wage or salary
workers under 20 years old who worked less than three months in
1939 represents partly young persons employed after school
hours, partly those employed during school vacations, and part-
ly young persons who had entered the lator force as full-time
workers since the beginning of 1939.

Very few men 25 to 64 years of age were employed less than
30 hours during the census week or worked less than six months
in 1939, but part-time work for women in these age groups was
tairly common, Such women often held part-time jobs in stores,
schools, etc., in addition to keeping house, and many of them
were seasonal workers.

‘The relatively large proportions of persons engaged in in-
termittent and short-time employment at ages of 55 years and
over was probably attributable mainly to a high incidence of
‘temporary disabilities, and to physical hendicaps which force
some older workers to work only a few hours a week, or a few
weeks a year. The proportion of persons with a job but not at
work during the census week was also considerably greater among
older than among younger workers (teble 12). .

Among nonwhite workers, the proportions employed part time,
like the proportions unemployed, were considerably greater than
among whites. Persons working less than 40 hours represented
17.6 percent of the nonwhite males, as compared with 13.7 per-
cent of the white males, at work (except on public emergency
work) during the census week (table 29), In the case of fe-
males, the difference was even greater; the percentages work-
ing less than 40 hours were 32.7 percent for nonwhite and 23.6
percent for white women, These differences were due partly to
‘the occupational distribution of the nonwhites, comparatively
large proportions of whom were employed as unpaid family workers
on farms and as domestic servants. The proportions of wage
or salary workers who worked less than six months in.1939 were
also considerably greater in the case of nonwhites than in the
case of whites (table 33).

Household relationships of part-time workers, — Part-time,
seasonal, and other intermittent employment in 1959, like unem-
ployment at the time of the census, were most common among
workers in the household relationship groups that are composed
mainly of dependents. For example, 65.7 percent of the male
relatives of household heads and 50.2 percent of the female
relatives (other than wives) who were wage or salary workers at
the time of the census, reported that they had not worked, or
hed worked less than twelve months in 1939, For male heads of
households, the corresponding figure was only 36.4 percent (table
34). For wives of household heads, the proportion not working
or working less than twelve months (51.7 percent) was even
higher than for other female relatives although comparatively
few wives were reported as unemployed during the census week.

Statistics on hours of work during the census week were not
tabulated ty household relationship.

DURATION OF UNEMPLOYMENT

Data on duration of unemployment are shown in this report
for wage or salary workers seeking work, by age, color, and
sex. No statistics on this subject are presented here for em-
ployers, own-account workers, unpaid family workers, or new
workers seeking work, nor for persons on public emergency work.
For such workers, data on duration of unemployment are less
significant and less reliable than those for wage or salary
workers seeking work; moreover, comparatively large proportions
of the Workers in these groups failed to report duration of
unemployment.

Duration of unemployment for wage or salary workers seeking
work represents the length of time (up to March 50, 1940) dur-
ing which they had been seeKing work or working on public emer-
gency projects; that is, the length of time since the end of



|

BUREAU OF THE CENSUS

J. C. CAPT, Director (Appointed May 22, '1941)
WILLIAM LANE AUSTIN, Director (Retired January $1, 1941)

Pare M. Hausen, Assistant Director

Population—Lron EB. Truesprit, Chief Statistician.
A, Ross Ecker, Assistant Chief Statistician,

Occupation Statisties—Alba M. Edwards.

Weonomie Statisties—William H. Mantz.

General Population Statistics—Henry 8. Shryock, Jr.
Housing Statisties—Howard G. Brunsman,
Mathematical Adviser—W. Edwards Deming.
Technical Operations—Regis W. Holmberg.
Tabulation Expert—James L. McPherson.

‘Technical Wditing—Bruee L, Jenkinson.

Technical Instructions—Jack B. Robertson.

Administrative Service—F, R. Prran, Acting Chief:
Agriculture—Zetumer R. Perrer, Chief Statistician.
Business—Joun Axpntant, Chief Statistician.
Geography—Crarence B. Barscuener, Geographer.

Information and Publications—A. W. von Srruve, Acting Chief.
Machine Tabulation—Rarrn BE, Gaccoway, Chief.
Manufactures—THomas J. Frrzcrratp, Chief Statistician.

State and Local Government—Hpvwarn R, Gray, Chief Statistician,
Vital Statistics—Hataenr L. Dunn, Chief Statistician.

SIXTEENTH CENSUS OF THE UNITED STATES: 1940

REPORTS ON POPULATION
YVorume

I Number of Inhabitants, by States,
II Characteristics of the Population, by States.
III The Labor Foree—Occupation, Industry, Employment, and Income, by States.
Iv Charagteristios by Age—Marital Status, Relationship, Education, and Citizenship,
py States,

Statistics for Census Tracts (Including Housing Data).

Additional Reports—Internal Migration, Families (Including Housing Data),
Fertility, Parentage, Mother Tongue, Further Statistics on The Labor Farce, ete.

Special Reports.

REPORTS ON HOUSING

I Data for Small Areas, by States.
Supplement : Block Statistics for Cities,
IL General Characteristics of Housing, by States,
IIL Characteristics by Monthly Rent or Value, by States.
IV Mortgages on Owner-Oceupied Nonfarm Homes, by States.

Special Reports.

pa



INTRODUCTION 7

‘TABLE TV, PERCENT OF POPULATION TH THR LakOR FoLO

MARCH 1940, AND PERCENT GATNFUL WORKERS, 1990, BY AGE, SEX, AND COLOR, FOR THE UNITED gTATES

[low otatiotion unset on a Seporsent ample. 1940 totnla for pertona 14 yeurs old end over Inolue pereons ef unisiow age.

1900 figures for white ineluto Mexicans who

were elannitied eo nommite in the 1920 Oennus Reports]

wa aa i
se = :
1940 asso | Chee, 1940 row | ohms, | oo 1800
ei] Ba
So por 3 wa) Bs
pera as ml Be
a gays

These trends greatly reduced the differential between the
two racial groups in the extent of participation in the labor
market on the part of children, older men, and women 25 years
old and over. ‘The tendency toward equalization of ‘the white
and nonwhite percentages in the labor force was attributable
partly to the migration of Negroes into urban areas, where the
employment of children and aged workers is much less common
than in rural areas. An important factor tending to reduce the
differential Yor children 14 to 17 wes the increase in school
attendance of nonwhite children, On the other hand, the dif-
ferences in the questions and definitions used in the two can~
suses may have affected the classification of nonwhites
differently ‘from that of whites.

. Increase of marricd women in the labor force.— Increased em-
ployment of married women has been the principal source of the
rise in the proportion of workers in the female population,
which has continued at least since 1870. During the first
thirty years of this century, the percentage of married women
gainfully occupied more than doubled, rising from 5.6 percent
4n 1900 to 11.7 percent in 1930. There was also some increase
in the employment of unmarried women. The proportion Tor sin-
gle women 14 years old and over rose from 40.9 to46.1 percent.®

The influx of married women into the labor market continued
at an even faster rate’ between 130 and 1940 than in earlier
decades. During this decade the proportion of workers among
married women jumped from 11.7 to 15.2 percent. The accelera-
tion of the historic trend was probably due mainly to further
declines in the birth rate, and to the tendency toward smaller
homes and the spread of household conveniences such as washing
machines and vacuum cleaners, which greatly lighten the burden
of housekeeping. Moreover, during this decade of large-scale
unemployment, some married women may have been forced to work
because their husbands lost thelr jobs.

Among single women, the proportion inthe labor force in 1940
was about the same as the proportion of gainful workers in 1930.

S the date on marital status of the female population end of fenale
gainful workers, presented in the census reports for 1950 and earlier
years, refer to women 16 years old and over, ‘The percentages quoted
here for wonen 1é years old end over 1n 1900 and 1950 have been esti=
mated on the assumption that ell females 14 years of age were single.

Among widowed and divorced women, the percentage declined from
34.4 in 1930 to 29.7 in 1940, This decline wes due partly to
the fact that a relatively large proportion of widowed and di~
vorced women are in the age class 65 years and over, in which
the percentage of workers was falling off for all classes of
the population. The decline for widowed and divorced women
may have resulted also partly from differences in the questions
and definitions used in the 1930 and 1940 censuses,

EMPLOYMENT STATUS

Employment status categories.— The employment status cate-
gories of persons in the labor force are defined below:

Employed (except _on public emergency work).—The grou
classified as employed In¢ludes two subgroups: (a) "At work’
=-bersons who worked for pay or profit at any time during
the week of March 24 to 30, 1940, in private work or nonemer-
gency Federal, State, or local government work, or assisted
without pay ona family farm or in a family business; end
(b) "With a job but not et work"--persons not actually at
work and not seeking work during the week of March 24 to 30,
1940, but with Jobs, businesses, or professional enterprises
trom which they were temporarily ‘absent because of vacation,
illness, industrial dispute, bad weather, or lay-off not ex-
ceeding 4 weeks with definite instructions to return to work
ona specific date. The group "mployed (except on public
emergency work)" includes not only employees but also pro-
pristors, farmers, other self-employed persons, and unpaid
family workers.

On public emergency work.—This category includes persons
who, during the week of March 24 to 30, 1940, were at work
on, or assigned to, public emergency work projects conducted
by the Work Projects Administration (WPA), the National
Youth Administration (NYA), ‘the Civilian Conservation Corps
(coc), or State or local work relief agencies.

Seeking work,— This category represents persons without
work of any sort in the week of March 24 to G0, 1940, who
were actively seeking work during that week, It also in-
cludes persons not actively seeking work ‘because there was
no work to be had, such as unemployed workers in one-indus-
‘try communities in which the plants were shut down; and per-
sons not actively seeking work because of temporary illness.



INTRODUCTION 9

DIAGRAM 2.- PERCENT OF LABOR FORCE SEEKING WORK AND ON PUBLIC EMERGENCY WORK,
BY AGE, FOR THE UNITED STATES: MARCH 1940

40

20; — ——

°
2
5
ira
«
§
a
cd
S
4
6
6
z
&
S$
2
o
a

V4ANDIS 1GANDI7 1BANDID 2OTOZ4 251029 BOTO34 351044 457054 557064 G5TO74 75AN0 OVER
AGE IN YEARS
SEEKING WORK
New worRKeERS [2/7 EXPERIENGED WORKERS [Jon Pustic EMERGENCY worK

SOURCE: TABLE 11

DIAGRAM 3.-PERCENT DISTRIBUTION BY CLASS OF WORKER FOR THE EXPERIENCED LABOR FORCE,
BY AGE, FOR THE UNITED STATES: MARCH 1940
PERCENT
50

° 10 20 30 40 60 70 80 90 too

14 To19
20 To 24
25 TO 34
35 To 44

45 TO 54

AGE IN YEARS

55 To 64

65 TO 74

75 AND
over

EMPLOYERS AND
wace or sauaay wongens [Mf uveaio ramny womens [| oy yEWEPSEEE AYRxens

SoURGes TABLE 11

534285 O- 43 - 2


UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
JESSE H. JONES, Secretary
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS

J. ©, CAPT, Director (Appointed May 22, 1941)
WILLIAM LANE AUSTIN, Director (Retired, January 31, 1941)
PHILIP M. HAUSER, Assistant Director

SIXTEENTH CENSUS OF THE UNITED STATES

POPULATION

THE LABOR FORCE

(Sample Statistics)

Employment and Personal
Characteristics .

Prepared under the supervision of

Dr. LEON E. TRUESDELL
Chief Statistician for Population

: 1940

UNITED STATES
‘ GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 1943

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. 8. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

we

B56



THE LABOR FORCE (SAMPLE STATISTICS)

This volume is comprised of two parts, with the reports arranged as follows:

Part 1. General Characteristics:

Employment and Personal Characteristics
Characteristics of Persons Not in the Labor Force
Employment and Family Characteristics of Women
Wage or Salary Income in 1939

Education, Occupation, and Household Relationship
of Males 18 to 44 Years Old

Part 2. Occupational and Industrial Characteristics:

Industrial Characteristics
Occupational Characteristics
Usual Occupation


INTRODUCTION 5

married persons whose families had been broken by separation
(often preceding divorce), immigrants whose husbands or wives
were left abroad, husbands or wives of persons enumerated as
inmates of institutions, and other married persons whose usual
place of residence was not the same as that of their husbands
or wives, including soldiers, sailors, meh in labor camps, etc.,
and their wives. In most of the tables in this report, married
Persons with spouse absent are combined with widowed and di-
vorced persons, since separated spouses are likely to be more
or less financially independent,

The number of men classified as married with wife present
was slightly greater than the number of women classified as
married with husband present. The difference is due partly to
the presence of some wives under 14 years of age, who are not
included in the tabulations shown in this report; but it 1s due
mainly to minor errors in the processing of the returns. Yor
similar reasons, the number of male heads of houséholds classi-
fied as married with wife present was slightly greater than the
number of women shown as wives of household heads,

‘The number of women in the marital status category "married,
husband present" is considerably greater than the number in the
relationship group "wife of head, ‘The difference is made up
of married relatives with husbands present, such as married
daughters and daughters-in-law of heads, and of married women
not living in private households,

Labor force status of household relationship groups.— The
percentages in the labor force for persons in each relationship
group, by age and sex, ere summarized in table II.

Table II. PERCENT OF POPULATION IN THE LABOR FORCE, BY HOUSEHOLD RE~
LATIONSHIP, AGE, AND SEX, FOR THE UNITED STATES: MARCH 1940

Borcont not show whore bese is leea than

[Btatistioe based on « S-porcent sample

otat, |]14 to | 18 to] 25 to| 95 to] 45 to] 6s
a | se | 4

and over |lyears | yoars| yeara| yoars| years) over

ALL othar...
Not relative of head, or nob
im private houschold.......| 70.6

Yenale. 28.8 93,8
Head of private nousshol: 99.8 7.
Bingle reesveseees 65.6 69.8
Mexried, widowed, and
SYOFCOd. eeseceee 34.3 64.9] 62.6] 96.6) 7.6
Wite of he peeereres W8 16.4] 142] 8.9] 2.5
Other relative of head.ss re. 24.8 e127] 66.8) 290] 2.2
Married, husband proseat, 22.8 29,9] 26.9] is4/ 18
ML othersesecseessreseescese | 96.2 70.9) 64.4] 82.8] 2.9
Not relative of head, or not
in private household, 4.7] 27.7] 78.0| 97.5] 72.8) 62.8/ 20.9

‘The great majority of the men between the ages of 18 and 64
in all relationship groups were in the labor force, but the
proportion in the labor force was greatest for married heads of
households with wife present. The percentage of such heads in
the labor force was in the neighborhood of 98 percent in the
age groups between 18 and 44 years; in the groups under 18 and
45 and over it was much greater than the corresponding figure
for malas in other relationship categories, The high propor-
tions in the labor force among married heads were probably due
partly to the tendency for men no longer in the labor force to
be reported as relatives, instead of household heads, if there
were other workers in the family,

Only 75.0 percent of the male heads who were single, wid-
owed, divorced, or married with wife absent from the household
were in the labor force during the census week. Most of those
who were not in the labor force were probably disabled men sup-
ported by their children or other relatives, and retired men
Living on pensions or other independent income. The proportion
of such men in the labor force is probably subject to some
change in response to variations in the condition of the labor
market, but their number is not large enough to affect greatly
the total labor force.

Unmarried sons and other unmarried relatives of heads were
the only important group in the male population in which there
was much room for increase in the proportion in the labor force.
Of the 4,723,600 male relatives 14 to 17 years old, only 18,4

percent were in the labor force, and many of these had only
Part-time jobs while they were attending school. Of the
5,682,680 unmarried male relatives 18 to 24 years old, 77.0
percent were in the labor force, The corresponding percentage
for the 541,140 married male relatives with wife present, such
as married sons and sons-in-law, was 93.0 percent.

among the few male relatives of heads in the age groups over
25 years, the proportion in the labor force was uniformly .some-
what lover than for household heads. Sons and brothers of
heads predominate among the mle reletives between the ages of
26 and 44, In the age groups 45 and over a considerable number
of fathers of heads, forced by disability and economic neces~
sity to live with thelr children, are included in the group.

Males not related to household heads or not in private
houscholds constituted « comparatively small group made up
mostly of lodgers, hired farm hands in rural areas, and inmates
of institutions. "The percentage of these men in the labor
force is probably not greatly affected by changes in the demand
for labor.

‘The employment of women is much more directly related to
family status than that of men, since women's household duties
tend to interfere with work outside of the home. ‘The propor-
tion in the labor fores is high emong women whose home respon~
sibilities are comparatively light, such as wonen living alone,
unmarried daughters living with their parents, and women living
as lodgers, etc. For women with greater homemaking duties, such
as wives and other married relatives of heads, the proportion
in the labor force tends to be much lower.

Shifts from the status of daughter or single woman living
alone to that of housewife were the principal cause of the re-
tirement of women from the labor foree during the age period 18
to 44 years. For women who continued to live with their parents
or other relatives, or who lived alone as heads of one-person
families, the proportion in the labor force was not much smaller
in the age groups 35 to 44 years than in the younger groups.
For all women taken as a total, however, the percentage in the
lebor force was progressively lover in each successive age
group because of the larger proportions of wives in the upper
age classes.

Wives of household heads were the principal reserve of po-
tential labor supply, In 1940 there were 26,295,660 wives of
heads, of whom only one-eighth were in the labor force. In the
age group 18 to 24 years, only 14.4’percent of the wives were
in the labor force, as contrasted with 86.2 percent for single
temle heads in this age class, Almost all wives have some
homemaking responsibilities, which would interfere at least to
some extent with their employment outside the home. ‘Those who
have young children are especially unlikely to enter the labor
market unless they can make some provision for the care of the
children while they work, This limitation upon the labor sup-
ply 1s particularly important for wives under 35 years of age,
who are most likely to have young children in their families.
Statistics on labor force status of women according to number
of children are presented in the report entitled, The Labor
Force--Sanple Statistics, Employment and Family Characteristics
of Women."

Daughters and other female relatives of heads are a group
comparatively free of home duties, especially if they are un-
married. There were 7,983,180 female relatives between the
ages of 18 and 64 who were unmarried (that is, single, widowed,
or divorced), or married with husband absent; of these,
4,618,480, or 57.9 percent, were in the labor force. For
married daughters, daughters-in-law, and other married female
relatives of heads the proportion in the labor force was consid-
erably less. The proportion was substantially greater, however,
for these married relatives than for wives of household heads,
partly because married women sharing the hones of others are
jess likely to have children, and partly because they may be
able to share housekeeping responsibilities with other women in
the home.

‘The women who participated in the labor market to the great
est extent were those who lived alone. ‘Two-thirds of the sin-
gle female heads were in the labor force in 1940, Between the
ages of 18 and 44 years,
group was nearly 90 percent, Most of these were self-support-
ing young women, living alone or with unrelated "partners," and
most of them had little or no responsibility for housekeeping.
The proportion of such women in the lator force is probably
subject to little variation,

Werried, widowed, and divorced female heads of households
were an elderly group; most of them were widows, three-fourths
were over 45, and nearly one-third were over 65 years of age.
Largely because of their age, only a little over one-third of
the married, widowed, end divorced female heads were in the
labor force.

the proportion of workers in this °


8 THE LABOR FORCE—SAMPLE STATISTICS

The group seeking work is subdivided into experienced vork-
ers and new Workers, the latter being persons who had not
previously worked full time for one month or more, (See "New
workers," below.)

Table V. EMPLOWMENT STATUS OF PERSONS IN THE LABOR FORCE, FOR THE
UNITED S'TATES, URBAN AND RURAL: MARCH 1940

[Beatsstios basod on a Sepercent eanple]

United veven | Rural Rural-

IMFLONANT SETS States nafem | fem

‘Total in labor forea..seerv+| 52,966,280 | 92,719,820| 9,767,260) 10,479,200

Buployed (ox0. on enor, Work).,..| 45,861,950) 27,728,900 8,045,740] 9,618,860
240

144,203,740
1,277,820
2452, 440
8,182, 480
4,401,500) 8,088;
"730,980 '831,040/ 189,280

Poreont Distribution

‘Total in labor force... 300.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Employed (exo, on emsrg. work) 85.7 84.7 2.4 18
23,5 22.5 26 90.2

pes 28 28) 16

on public exargency wares. sesss 48 ae 5.9 2.8
Sookeing Works sseee+ 5.7 aa 10.7 48
‘Expartenced worker’ 88 4 28 8.9
Row workora.... Fes Le 14] 0.8

The distribution of the labor force by employment status is
shown in table V for the United States and for urban and rural
areas. During the week of March 24 to 30, 1940, 85.7 percent
of the labor force in the United States were employed (except
on public emergency work). The proportion employed was greatest
in rural-farm areas, where 91,8 percent of the labor force were
employed; only 8.7 percent of the urban, and 82.4 percent of
the rural-nonfarm labor force were employed. The comparatively
high percentage employed in the rural-farm labor force is at-
tributeble mainly to the fact that farmers and unpaid family
farm workers are relatively free from the risk of complete
unemployment.

There were 5,152,480 persons, or 9.7 percent of the labor
force, who were seeking work during the census week, Of these,
3,619,980 were in urban areas, 1,045,240 were in rural-nontarm,
and 467,860 were in rural-farn areas. The geographical distri-
bution of persons seeking work was affected by migration of un-
employed workers. Some of the persons seeking work in urban
areas, and probably also some of those in rural-nonfarm commun-
ities, had migrated from farms to look for jobs.

Misclassification of persons on public emergency work.— In
the interpretation of the data for persons on public emergency
work, allowance must be made for the misclassification in the
census returns of considerable numbers of public amergency
workers. The number of persons reported in the census as on
public emergency work in the United States (according to the
complete count of the census returns) was 2,529,606, whereas
‘the number recorded on the pay rolls of the Federal emergency
work agencies at about the time of the census was 2,906,196
excluding the NYA Student Work Program, and 3,377,978 including
that program, The amount of misclassification varied greatly
from State to State. Among the factors that were responsible
for the misclassification were confusion on the pert of the
enumerators and respondents regerding the classification of
certain types of public emergency work, and reluctance on the
part of some persons to report that they were on emergency
work,

‘The most common type of misclassification was the reporting
of emergency workers as "at work" rather than as "on public
emergency work." Persons on the NYA Student Work Program were
very frequently returned as in school and not in the labor
force, There is also evidence that @ considerable number of
emergency workers were classified as seeking work. Since the
amount of misclassification undoubtedly differed considerably
among various age and sex groups, the census date on personal
characteristics and household relationships of persons on pub-
lic emergency work should be used with caution,

Number of unemployed.— The total number of unemployed, as
usually defined, includes (1) persons seeking work and without
any form of public or private employment, and (2) those on pub-
lic emergency work programs established to provide jobs for the
unemployed. Because of the misclassification of public emer-
gency workers, the census total of these two groups understates

the amount of unemployment. More satisfactory figures can be
obtained by adding to the census figures for persons seeking
work, the number of persons on pay rolls of the Federal emer-
gency work agencies at the time of the census. This procedure
(using the number of persons seeking work shown by the complete
count of the census returns) yields a total of 8 million unem-
ployed during the week of March 24 to 30, 1940, 1f persons on
the NYA Student Work Program are excluded, or 8,471,788 1f the
persons on that program are regarded as unemployed.

These unemployment figures tend to be understated by the num-
ber of persons on State or local emergency work programs (for
which adequate statistics could not be obtained), and by the
number of unemployed persons among those whose employment sta~
tus was not reported. They tend to be overstated to the ex-
tent thet some of the agency pay-roll figures apply to a period
longer than a single week, and to the extent that workers on
Federal emergency work projects were reported as seeking work.
‘The available evidence on the importance of these factors indi-
cates that their net effect upon the total volume of unemploy-
nent was small.

New workers .— Persons seeking work are subdivided into ex-
perienced workers and nex workers, the latter being persons who
had not previously worked full time for one month or more at a
single Job. Persons seeking work for whom a report on work ex~
perience was lacking were classified as experienced workers.
New workers represent «© serious problen’ in periods of large-
scale unemployment, because lack of work experience is one of
the chief handicaps of young people trying to gain a foothold
in the labor market at such times, The total seeking work in
March 1940, included 4,401,500 experienced workers and 730,980
new workers; practically all of the latter were under 25 years
of age (table 1S). The proportion of new workers was greatest
in urban areas; in rural-farm areas only six-tenths of 1 percent
of the labor force were new workers seeking work, since most
farm youths had had opportunity to gain experience on the home
farm.

Experienced labor force.— Some of the tables in this report
present data for the experienced labor force, which includes
employed persons, persons on public emergency work, and persons
seeking work other than new workers.

Personal characteristics of employed and unemployed workers .—
The relationship between age and unemployment at the time of
the census is illustrated in diagram 2, which shows the per~
centages seeking work and on public emergency work for various
age groups of the labor force. The impact of unemployment was
most severe upon young people and upon those approaching the
age of retirement. The proportion unemployed was greatest for
persons 16 and 17 years old; 35.4 percent of the labor force in
this age group were reported as seeking work or on public emer-
gency work, . Large proportions of the unemployed youths under
20 were new workers who had never held a full-time job for one
month or more. Of persons 55 to 64 years old in the labor
force, 14.6 percent were unemployed. Unemployment rates were
considerably lover in the age classes between 25 and 44 years.
The age differences in unemployment rates reflect the difficul-
ties encountered by inexperienced young workers trying to gain
a foothold in the labor market during this period, and by older
workers handicapped in the competition for jobs by old age and
disability.

A considerable amount of unemployment among young people is
almost inevitable in the process of leaving school and entering
the labor force, even in times of relatively full employment.
At the time of the 1940 census, the number of persons annually
entering the labor force, at each single year of ‘age in the
group 14 to 19 years, exceeded the number who found jobs at
‘that age, so that the number reported as seeking work or on
public emergency work was greater for each successive age (dia~
gram 1). The turning point was reached at age 20, when the in-
crease in the number of young persons employed’ exceeded the
increase in the labor force, so that the number seeking work or
on public emergency work was less than in the preceding year
of age.

From 20 to about 35 years of age, the number of males unem-
ployed grew smaller in each succeeding age. Between the ages
of 35 and 55, 1t remained almost constant, but since the number
of men in the labor force was smaller in each successive age,
‘the unemployed formed a growing proportion of the labor force,
Between about 55 and 65 years, the number of unemployed men be-~
gan to decrease from age to age, but the number in the labor
force decreased more rapidly, so that the unemployed continued
to increase as @ percentage of the labor force, After about
age 65, the age-to-age decrease in unemployment exceeded the