This variable indicates the type of job change since the previous interview for respondents with a follow-up interview, and a change of job since the beginning of the previous year for first-time respondents. As a job change can include a new job within the same firm as well as a change to another firm. Entrance into a job for the first time or after a break is also considered a job change.
PGJOBCH is generated based on the central filter variable plb0031_v# in pl.dta whether an employed respondent has changed jobs since the beginning of the previous year. Information on the date of job change is combined with the exact date of the previous interview to identify whether a new job change has taken place since than.
The PGJOBCH variable is generated by correcting the original job change information in various ways:
- If a respondent reports a job change with a date prior to the previous interview, the date and the type of the job change are used to correct double entries. If it seems to be double entry the second reporting is coded as [2] “Employed No Change”. If it doesn't seem to be double entry, the observation is placed in [3] “Employed No Info If Change”, as it is possible that the person mis-remembered the correct date of the job-change.
- If a respondent reports a job change in the same month as the last interview, we cannot determine exactly the order of events. The date and the type of the job change are used to compare it to possible job-changes in the previous wave. If it seems to be double entry the second reporting is coded as [2] “Employed No Change” . If the features are different it is coded as a valid job-change and placed in [4] “Employed With Change”.
- Respondents can be “first-time employed” only once. If it can be made sure by comparing timing and type of the job-change that it is just a second reporting of the same first time employment we assume no other job-change occurred and they are placed in [2] “Employed No Change”. If a double entry can be ruled out, these observations are coded as [4] “Employed With Change” as is most likely that indeed a job-change occurred and they just placed themselves in the wrong type of job-change.
- Starting in the 2022 wave, in all cases, if information on the date of job-change is missing and there was a job-change in the previous wave, controlling for a double entry is not possible. The uncertainty is accounted for by placing these observations in [3] “Employed No Info If Change”.
Up to 1993, first-time respondents did not answer the question on job change. Therefore, for these respondents the variable is generated by combining the information on the start date with the current employer and the respondent's age at entrance into their first job.
In 2013 the respondents of the newly introduced migration sample (M1) were not asked whether they have changed jobs since the beginning of the previous year, therefore the generation of PGJOBCH for the migration sample was modified in 2013:
- Respondents who are not employed were coded [1] “Not Employed”.
- Respondents who are still in the same occupation and position and are working for the same employer as they had worked in their first job in Germany were coded [2] “Employed No Change”.
- Respondents who have entered the firm they are currently working after the 31th of December 2011 were coded [4] “Employed With Change”.
- If a respondent is in her first vocational training this was coded as [5] “First Time Employed”.
- Respondents who are employed but for whom no further information could be used were coded [3] “Employed No Info If Change”.
In 2014 there was again a uniform questionnaire for all respondents.
In 2015 the respondents of the newly introduced migration sample (M2) were not asked whether they have changed jobs since the beginning of the previous year. Furthermore, respondent within migration sample M1 are decomposed in first-time respondents with and follow-up respondents without question about job change in the previous year embodied by the questionnaire. Such that generation of PGJOBCH for the migration sample in 2015 was as following:
- For follow-up respondents generation as in the case of a uniform questionnaire for all respondents was pursued.
- In the case of first-time respondents in M1 sample and for all respondents from M2 sample the rule of thumb is as in 2013 applied.
In 2016 the respondents of the newly introduced refugee samples (M3 and M4, psample = 17) were not asked whether they have changed jobs since the beginning of the previous year. The generation of PGJOBCH for these samples corresponds to the rule of thumb as for the first-time respondents in the M1 sample with one modification. In step 4, the code [5] “First Time Employed” was assigned to respondents who are currently in a vocational training, were not occupied prior to their arrival in Germany, had neither a vocational training, nor a university degree and are in their first occupational relationship in Germany.
The 2017 generation of PGJOBCH for the newly added refugee sample M5 [psample = 19] is analogous to that of 2016.
This variable indicates the type of job change since the previous interview for respondents with a follow-up interview, and a change of job since the beginning of the previous year for first-time respondents. As a job change can include a new job within the same firm as well as a change to another firm. Entrance into a job for the first time or after a break is also considered a job change.
PGJOBCH is generated based on the central filter variable plb0031_v# in pl.dta whether an employed respondent has changed jobs since the beginning of the previous year. Information on the date of job change is combined with the exact date of the previous interview to identify whether a new job change has taken place since than.
The PGJOBCH variable is generated by correcting the original job change information in various ways:
- If a respondent reports a job change with a date prior to the previous interview, the date and the type of the job change are used to correct double entries. If it seems to be double entry the second reporting is coded as [2] “Employed No Change”. If it doesn't seem to be double entry, the observation is placed in [3] “Employed No Info If Change”, as it is possible that the person mis-remembered the correct date of the job-change.
- If a respondent reports a job change in the same month as the last interview, we cannot determine exactly the order of events. The date and the type of the job change are used to compare it to possible job-changes in the previous wave. If it seems to be double entry the second reporting is coded as [2] “Employed No Change” . If the features are different it is coded as a valid job-change and placed in [4] “Employed With Change”.
- Respondents can be “first-time employed” only once. If it can be made sure by comparing timing and type of the job-change that it is just a second reporting of the same first time employment we assume no other job-change occurred and they are placed in [2] “Employed No Change”. If a double entry can be ruled out, these observations are coded as [4] “Employed With Change” as is most likely that indeed a job-change occurred and they just placed themselves in the wrong type of job-change.
- Starting in the 2022 wave, in all cases, if information on the date of job-change is missing and there was a job-change in the previous wave, controlling for a double entry is not possible. The uncertainty is accounted for by placing these observations in [3] “Employed No Info If Change”.
Up to 1993, first-time respondents did not answer the question on job change. Therefore, for these respondents the variable is generated by combining the information on the start date with the current employer and the respondent's age at entrance into their first job.
In 2013 the respondents of the newly introduced migration sample (M1) were not asked whether they have changed jobs since the beginning of the previous year, therefore the generation of PGJOBCH for the migration sample was modified in 2013:
- Respondents who are not employed were coded [1] “Not Employed”.
- Respondents who are still in the same occupation and position and are working for the same employer as they had worked in their first job in Germany were coded [2] “Employed No Change”.
- Respondents who have entered the firm they are currently working after the 31th of December 2011 were coded [4] “Employed With Change”.
- If a respondent is in her first vocational training this was coded as [5] “First Time Employed”.
- Respondents who are employed but for whom no further information could be used were coded [3] “Employed No Info If Change”.
In 2014 there was again a uniform questionnaire for all respondents.
In 2015 the respondents of the newly introduced migration sample (M2) were not asked whether they have changed jobs since the beginning of the previous year. Furthermore, respondent within migration sample M1 are decomposed in first-time respondents with and follow-up respondents without question about job change in the previous year embodied by the questionnaire. Such that generation of PGJOBCH for the migration sample in 2015 was as following:
- For follow-up respondents generation as in the case of a uniform questionnaire for all respondents was pursued.
- In the case of first-time respondents in M1 sample and for all respondents from M2 sample the rule of thumb is as in 2013 applied.
In 2016 the respondents of the newly introduced refugee samples (M3 and M4, psample = 17) were not asked whether they have changed jobs since the beginning of the previous year. The generation of PGJOBCH for these samples corresponds to the rule of thumb as for the first-time respondents in the M1 sample with one modification. In step 4, the code [5] “First Time Employed” was assigned to respondents who are currently in a vocational training, were not occupied prior to their arrival in Germany, had neither a vocational training, nor a university degree and are in their first occupational relationship in Germany.
The 2017 generation of PGJOBCH for the newly added refugee sample M5 [psample = 19] is analogous to that of 2016.