Ascertained for persons 14 years of age and over from replies to several questions relating to work activity and status during the reference week. These questions were: Did this person work at any time last week (include part-time work such as Saturday job or helping without pay in family business or farm and active duty in the Armed Forces; exclude housework, school work, or volunteer work)? How many hours did he work last week (at all jobs)? Does this person have a job or business from which he was temporarily absent either because of illness, vacation, labor dispute, etc., or because he was on layoff last week? Has he been looking for work during the past four weeks, and if so, was there any reason why he could not take a job last week?
Civilians 14 years and over who during the reference week were either at work -- who did any work for pay or profit or worked without pay for 15 hours or more on a family farm or business; or with a job but not at work -- were temporarily absent because of reasons such as illness, vacation, etc. The two categories, at work and with a job but not at work, are shown separately in some tabulations.
In 1960, civilians 14 years and over who were neither at work nor with a job but not at work during the reference week but were looking for work within the past 60 days. (Examples of looking for work include registering at an employment office, writing letters of application, etc.) Persons waiting to be called back to a job from which they were laid off or furloughed were also counted among the unemployed.
In 1970, civilians 14 years and over who were neither at work nor with a job but not at work within the past 4 weeks and were available for work during the reference week. Persons waiting to be called back to a job from which they had been laid off or who were waiting to report to a new wage or salary job within 30 days were counted among the unemployed. (Availability for work is indicated by replies to a question -- new in 1970 -- whether there was any reason why the respondent could not take a job last week.)
Those unemployed who indicate in reply to the year last worked question that they have worked at some time in the past.