This variable reflects the total length of full-time employment in the respondent’s career. The variable is created by combining monthly information on employment status from the calendar dataset ARTKALEN (which provides monthly information on activity status since an individual entered the SOEP) and annual information from the biographical dataset PBIOSPE (which provides information on activity status over the individual’s life course). PGEXPFT uses calendar information up to December of the previous year and gives the length of time in years with months in decimal form.
If there is no monthly calendar data available in a given year of a respondent’s career, the annual data from PBIOSPE is used for that year. In the most current wave the variable only uses up-to-date information from the newly answered Biography Questionnaires. If the year in which a spell started and ended is the same, and if there is no monthly data, a spell of 0.5 years is assumed.
Persons whose life course has been observed completely but with no spell of full-time employment are assigned the code (0). The code (-1) is assigned to all persons whose life course has not been observed completely. Persons with inconsistent information receive a (-3).
Because detailed information on the acitivity status of the respondents is not assessed in the Questionnaire of the SOEP Innovation Sample, PGEXPFT is not generated for Sample E (since 2012), I (since 2011) and the supplementary samples (since 2012). For this purpose, PGEXPFT is coded to “-5” (not contained in questionnaire).
Please also see PGEXPPT and PGEXPUE.
This variable reflects the total length of full-time employment in the respondent’s career. The variable is created by combining monthly information on employment status from the calendar dataset ARTKALEN (which provides monthly information on activity status since an individual entered the SOEP) and annual information from the biographical dataset PBIOSPE (which provides information on activity status over the individual’s life course). PGEXPFT uses calendar information up to December of the previous year and gives the length of time in years with months in decimal form.
If there is no monthly calendar data available in a given year of a respondent’s career, the annual data from PBIOSPE is used for that year. In the most current wave the variable only uses up-to-date information from the newly answered Biography Questionnaires. If the year in which a spell started and ended is the same, and if there is no monthly data, a spell of 0.5 years is assumed.
Persons whose life course has been observed completely but with no spell of full-time employment are assigned the code (0). The code (-1) is assigned to all persons whose life course has not been observed completely. Persons with inconsistent information receive a (-3).
Because detailed information on the acitivity status of the respondents is not assessed in the Questionnaire of the SOEP Innovation Sample, PGEXPFT is not generated for Sample E (since 2012), I (since 2011) and the supplementary samples (since 2012). For this purpose, PGEXPFT is coded to “-5” (not contained in questionnaire).
Please also see PGEXPPT and PGEXPUE.