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Socio-Economic Differences in the Perceived Quality of High and Low-Paid Jobs in Europe

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Author Info

  • Konstantinos Pouliakas

    (Centre for European Labour Market Research, University of Aberdeen Business School)

  • Ioannis Theodossiou

    (Centre for European Labour Market Research, University of Aberdeen Business School)

Abstract

This paper engages in a novel comparison of differences in the perceived quality of high and low-paid jobs across six European labour markets. Utilizing data from six waves (1996-2001) of the European Community Household Panel (ECHP), and after correcting for the selectivity problem that is prevalent in the study of the effect of low pay status on job satisfaction, it is shown that, other things equal, low-paid employees are significantly less satisfied with their jobs compared to those who are high-paid in Greece, Spain, and Finland. In contrast, there appears to be an insignificant difference in the satisfaction of high and low wage workers in the United Kingdom, France and Denmark. The empirical evidence therefore suggests that low-paid jobs in the EU are not universally of low quality, though in some countries low wage workers have experienced the full brunt of both lower paid and bad quality jobs. For these countries policies that centre on the quality of jobs would be of equal importance to those that focus on the level of pay. A homogeneous policy of removing low wage employment through regulation, however, would not necessarily lead to improvement in the welfare of low-paid citizens across all European economies.

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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by EconWPA in its series Labor and Demography with number 0506002.

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Length: 43 pages
Date of creation: 06 Jun 2005
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpla:0506002

Note: Type of Document - pdf; pages: 43
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Web page: http://128.118.178.162

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Keywords: job quality; job satisfaction; low pay; dual labour markets;

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References

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Citations

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Cited by:
  1. W.D. McCausland & K. Pouliakas & I. Theodossiou, 2005. "Some are Punished and Some are Rewarded: A Study of the Impact of Performance Pay on Job Satisfaction," Labor and Demography 0505019, EconWPA.
  2. Pouliakas, Konstantinos & Theodossiou, Ioannis, 2008. "Measuring the Utility Cost of Temporary Employment Contracts before Adaptation: A Conjoint Analysis Approach," MPRA Paper 14166, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  3. Pouliakas, Konstantinos & Livanos, Ilias, 2008. "The Gender Wage Gap as a Function of Educational Degree Choices in Greece," MPRA Paper 14168, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 19 Mar 2009.
  4. Pouliakas, Konstantinos & Theodossiou, Ioannis, 2005. "Socio-Economic Differences in the Satisfaction of High-Pay and Low-Pay Jobs in Europe," MPRA Paper 16733, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 10 Aug 2009.
  5. Ricardo Pagán & Miguel Malo, 2009. "Job satisfaction and disability: lower expectations about jobs or a matter of health?," Spanish Economic Review, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 51-74, March.
  6. Livanos, Ilias & Pouliakas, Konstantinos, 2008. "Returns to education by academic discipline in the Greek labour market," MPRA Paper 14159, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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