# How do the original CPS variables map to EMPSTAT?

**URL:** <https://forum.ipums.org/t/how-do-the-original-cps-variables-map-to-empstat/2059>\
**Category:** CPS\
**Created:** [December 6, 2017, 2:58pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/how-do-the-original-cps-variables-map-to-empstat/2059 "2017-12-06T14:58:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![econuser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@econuser](https://forum.ipums.org/u/econuser)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 2:58pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/how-do-the-original-cps-variables-map-to-empstat/2059/1 "2017-12-06T14:58:00Z")

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Can you tell me how “unable to work” is coded? Is this exactly equal to disability or ill health as reason they are not in the labor force?

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**Author:** ![JeffBloem](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.ipums.org/jeffbloem/32/40_2.png) [@JeffBloem](https://forum.ipums.org/u/JeffBloem)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 9:42pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/how-do-the-original-cps-variables-map-to-empstat/2059/2 "2017-12-06T21:42:00Z")

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The IPUMS CPS variable [EMPSTAT](https://cps.ipums.org/cps-action/variables/EMPSTAT#codes_section) is simply a harmonized version of the CPS source variable PEMLR (major labor force recode). [Here is a link](https://thedataweb.rm.census.gov/pub/cps/march/08ASEC2017_Data_Dict_Full.txt) to the 2017 ASEC data dictionary. The “NILF, unable to work” code in EMPSTAT stems directly from the “NILF, disabled” in PEMLR.