IEEE-USA E-Book Highlight:
2008 IEEE-USA Unemployment Survey: The Results

By Sharon C. Richardson

This month, IEEE-USA E-Books is highlighting the 2008 IEEE-USA Unemployment Survey: The Results, prepared by Laura Langbein, professor of public policy at American University. The IEEE-USA Employment Assistance Committee conducted the Survey to gain a better understanding of the problems of unemployment for older engineers.

The first IEEE-USA Unemployment Survey was conducted in 1995 with replications in 1996, 1998, 2002, 2004 and 2006. The 2008 survey was replicated with the same survey instrument used in previous years. The survey was sent to 3,168 U.S. IEEE members who reported being unemployed at some time during 2008, and paid dues at a reduced rate. 614 members responded to the survey, representing a 19.4 percent response rate.

“The report of results is organized in four sections. The first section reports the percentage distribution or means response for each of the questions in the survey. The second section reports the results of selected cross tabulations that focus on age and various aspects of employment status. The third section reports the results of a multivariate analysis focusing on the impact of age on the duration of unemployment, when other factors are held constant. The final section compares some of the current results to those in 1995, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2004 and 2006,”Langbein wrote.

The 2008 Survey has additional questions that were not in the previous surveys regarding benefits and services partially or fully provided by previous and current employers. This section covered pension plans, life insurance, vision-care insurance, dental insurance and 401k retirement plans.

Survey respondents were asked, what they saw as major personal barriers to their employment or re-employment; their view of the long-term demand for engineers; what they think IEEE should be doing to help (if anything); if they are aware of the IEEE-USA’s employment assistance service; and if they would recommend engineering to their son or daughter.

One section in this e-book, “Selected Comparisons of the 2008 responses to 1995, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2004 and 2006 Survey Responses: 1995-2008” shows significant differences between and similarities among the surveys.”Overall, in every year of the survey, controlling for other variables, age appears to have a persistent association with a significant and non-trivial increase in the duration of unemployment,” Langbein noted.

You can purchase your copy of the 2008 IEEE-USA Unemployment Survey: The Results at www.ieeeusa.org/communications/ebooks. IEEE Member price: $4.95; Non-Member price: $19.95.

Ideas for New E-Books

IEEE-USA E-Books invites IEEE members and volunteers to submit queries for e-books they may want to write. If you’ve got an idea for an e-book that will educate other IEEE members on a particular topic of expertise, e-mail your e-book queries and ideas to IEEE-USA Publishing Manager Georgia Stelluto at g.stelluto@ieee.org.

IEEE members can purchase IEEE-USA e-books at deeply discounted member prices — and download selected free e-books at www.ieeeusa.org/communications/ebooks

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