Work, Jobs and Well-Being Across the Millennium

44 Pages Posted: 19 Jan 2009

See all articles by Andrew Clark

Andrew Clark

Paris School of Economics (PSE); IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Abstract

This paper uses repeated cross-section data ISSP data from 1989, 1997 and 2005 to consider movements in job quality. It is first underlined that not having a job when you want one is a major source of low well-being. Second, job values have remained fairly stable over time, although workers seem to give increasing importance to the more "social" aspects of jobs: useful and helpful jobs. The central finding of the paper is that, following a substantial fall between 1989 and 1997, subjective measures of job quality have mostly bounced back between 1997 and 2005. Overall job satisfaction is higher in 2005 than it was in 1989. Last, the rate of self-employment has been falling gently in ISSP data; even so three to four times as many people say they would prefer to be self-employed than are actually self-employed. As the self-employed are more satisfied than are employees, one consistent interpretation of the above is that the barriers to self-employment have grown in recent years.

Keywords: employment, unemployment, self-employment, life satisfaction, job quality, job satisfaction

JEL Classification: J21, J28, J3, J6, J81, L26

Suggested Citation

Clark, Andrew Eric, Work, Jobs and Well-Being Across the Millennium. IZA Discussion Paper No. 3940, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1329578 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1329578

Andrew Eric Clark (Contact Author)

Paris School of Economics (PSE) ( email )

48 Boulevard Jourdan
Paris, 75014 75014
France

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

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