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

Author

Listed:
  • 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.

Suggested Citation

  • Konstantinos Pouliakas & Ioannis Theodossiou, 2005. "Socio-Economic Differences in the Perceived Quality of High and Low-Paid Jobs in Europe," Labor and Demography 0506002, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  • Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpla:0506002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. McCausland, David & Pouliakas, Konstantinos & Theodossiou, Ioannis, 2005. "Some are Punished and Some are Rewarded: A Study of the Impact of Performance Pay on Job Satisfaction," MPRA Paper 14243, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Livanos, Ilias & Pouliakas, Konstantinos, 2009. "The Gender Wage Gap as a Function of Educational Degree Choices in an Occupationally Segregated EU Country," IZA Discussion Papers 4636, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. 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.
    4. Pouliakas, Konstantinos, 2014. "A Balancing Act at Times of Austerity: Matching the Supply and Demand for Skills in the Greek Labour Market," IZA Discussion Papers 7915, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Livanos, Ilias & Pouliakas, Konstantinos, 2008. "Returns to education by academic discipline in the Greek labour market," MPRA Paper 14159, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Konstantinos Pouliakas & Ioannis Theodossiou, 2010. "Measuring the Utility Cost of Temporary Employment Contracts Before Adaptation: A Conjoint Analysis Approach," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 77(308), pages 688-709, October.
    7. Konstantinos POULIAKAS & Ioannis THEODOSSIOU, 2010. "Differences in the job satisfaction of high-paid and low-paid workers across Europe," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 149(1), pages 1-29, March.
    8. 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.
    9. Berton, Fabio & Migheli Matteo, 2015. "Estimating the marginal rate of substitution between wage and employment protection," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201529, University of Turin.
    10. Michael Demoussis & Nicholas Giannakopoulos, 2007. "Exploring Job Satisfaction in Private and Public Employment: Empirical Evidence from Greece," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 21(2), pages 333-359, June.
    11. Ricardo Pagán & Miguel Malo, 2009. "Job satisfaction and disability: lower expectations about jobs or a matter of health?," Spanish Economic Review, Springer;Spanish Economic Association, vol. 11(1), pages 51-74, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    job quality; job satisfaction; low pay; dual labour markets;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J28 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy
    • J42 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Monopsony; Segmented Labor Markets

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