Evaluation of Short-time Compensation Programs

The Short-Time Compensation Study public use data (1991-1994) examine the impact of short-time compensation (STC) on firm behavior in California, Florida, Kansas, New York, and Washington. State unemployment insurance data and employer survey data are used to analyze the STC option within the UI system, which provide employers with an alternative to layoffs.

The study was conducted in 1996 with data coverage from 1991 to 1994. Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. compiled the state unemployment insurance data from UI administrative records for a matched sample of STC and non-STC participants in the five states based on industry, employment, and UI tax rate.

The administrative records file contains quarterly data (1991-1993) for each firm, including:

• Number of employees
• Average wages per worker
• Unemployment insurance and STC charges
• Number of new and continuing unemployment insurance and STC claims
• Percentage of unemployment insurance and STC claims by race, age, and gender.

Berkeley Planning Associates conducted the 1996 telephone survey of individual employers (selected from the administrative records file) and requested information about STC participation in 1992. The survey file includes:

• Percentage of firm employees by race, gender, age, tenure, and type of occupation
• Risk of layoff by age, tenure, gender, race, and type of occupation
• Number of layoffs and recalls (1992-1994)
• Advantages or disadvantages to participation in STC
• Percent of STC claimants by race, gender, and age (from the administrative records file)
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The administrative record file contains 3,415 observations and 839 variables, and the employer survey data file contains 502 observations and 255 variables.