# Zero work hours among the employed

**URL:** <https://forum.ipums.org/t/zero-work-hours-among-the-employed/7037>\
**Category:** TIME USE\
**Created:** [April 10, 2026, 7:46pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/zero-work-hours-among-the-employed/7037 "2026-04-10T19:46:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Halim\_Yoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@Halim\_Yoon](https://forum.ipums.org/u/Halim_Yoon)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2026, 7:46pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/zero-work-hours-among-the-employed/7037/1 "2026-04-10T19:46:50Z")

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I am using ATUS data from 2018 to 2024 and found that, among respondents who are currently employed and whose ATUS interview day falls on a non-holiday weekday, about 14% report zero work hours. This proportion is higher than I expected, and I would like to gain a clearer understanding of the reasons behind it. One possibility is that some respondents do not work conventional schedules, for example shift workers who may be off on certain weekdays. I would appreciate any thoughts you may have on this. Thank you.

 ![Screenshot 2026-04-10 at 3.41.48 PM](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/ipums/original/2X/d/d06b76a4e87e6a1b0a94f914f32fa1faf341491b.png)

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**Author:** ![Isabel\_Pastoor](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.ipums.org/isabel_pastoor/32/788_2.png) [@Isabel\_Pastoor](https://forum.ipums.org/u/Isabel_Pastoor)\
**Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 3:31pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/zero-work-hours-among-the-employed/7037/2 "2026-04-13T15:31:12Z")

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I looked at the ATUS samples from 2018-2024 using our online data analysis system and found that about 15 percent of ATUS respondents who were employed and whose time diary covered a non-holiday weekday, 15 percent spent zero time on work on their time diary day. Among full-time workers ([FULLPART](https://www.atusdata.org/atus-action/variables/FULLPART#codes_section)), 9.8 percent spent zero time on work. People who did not work on their time diary day on average work fewer hours per week ([UHRSWORKT](https://www.atusdata.org/atus-action/variables/UHRSWORKT#codes_section)) than people who did work on their time diary day. Note that to obtain nationally representative estimates using survey data, including ATUS data, you need to apply sampling weights. Person-level analyses should use [WT06](https://www.atusdata.org/atus-action/variables/WT06#description_section), with the exception of analyses of the 2020 sample, for which you should use [WT20](https://www.atusdata.org/atus-action/variables/WT20#description_section).

We are not aware of any issues with ATUS data quality that make me call into question the accuracy of this estimate. If you come across something that appears to be a systematic issue with the data, please let us know by posting on the forum or emailing us at [ipums@umn.edu](mailto:ipums@umn.edu).