IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/labeco/v91y2024ics0927537124001271.html

The value of commuting time, flexibility, and job security: Evidence from current and recent jobseekers in Flanders

Author

Listed:
  • Van Landeghem, Bert
  • Dohmen, Thomas
  • Hole, Arne Risa
  • Künn-Nelen, Annemarie

Abstract

This study examines jobseekers’ preferences for a variety of job attributes. It is based on a choice experiment involving 1852 clients of the Flemish Public Employment Service (PES). Respondents value flexibility (e.g., remote work and schedule flexibility), job security and social impact of the job, and require significant compensation for longer commute times. A majority (70%) would need very substantial wage increase beyond their acceptable baseline wage to compensate for less flexibility, job security or social impact. These findings enhance our understanding of labour supply decisions and can inform the design of salary packages and HR policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Van Landeghem, Bert & Dohmen, Thomas & Hole, Arne Risa & Künn-Nelen, Annemarie, 2024. "The value of commuting time, flexibility, and job security: Evidence from current and recent jobseekers in Flanders," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:91:y:2024:i:c:s0927537124001271
    DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2024.102631
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927537124001271
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.labeco.2024.102631?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or

    for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. van den Berg, Gerard J & Gorter, Cees, 1997. "Job Search and Commuting Time," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 15(2), pages 269-281, April.
    2. Piotr Lewandowski & Katarzyna Lipowska & Mateusz Smoter, 2026. "Mismatch in Preferences for Working from Home: Evidence from Discrete Choice Experiments with Workers and Employers," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 79(1), pages 142-172, January.
    3. repec:oup:qjecon:v:136:y:2021:i:1:p:381-426. is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Andreas I. Mueller & Johannes Spinnewijn & Giorgio Topa, 2021. "Job Seekers' Perceptions and Employment Prospects: Heterogeneity, Duration Dependence, and Bias," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 111(1), pages 324-363, January.
    5. Manning, Alan, 2003. "The real thin theory: monopsony in modern labour markets," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 10(2), pages 105-131, April.
    6. Alexander Bick & Adam Blandin & Karel Mertens, 2023. "Work from Home before and after the COVID-19 Outbreak," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 15(4), pages 1-39, October.
    7. Cevat Giray Aksoy & Jose Maria Barrero & Nicholas Bloom & Steven J. Davis & Mathias Dolls & Pablo Zarate, 2022. "Working from Home Around the World," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 53(2 (Fall)), pages 281-360.
    8. Dupuy, Arnaud & Kennes, John & Lyng, Ran Sun, 2021. "The Market for CEOs: Building Legacy and Feeling Empowered Matter," IZA Discussion Papers 14803, IZA Network @ LISER.
    9. Jos van Ommeren & Piet Rietveld & Peter Nijkamp & Jos van Ommeren & Piet Rietveld & Peter Nijkamp, 2004. "Job Moving, Residential Moving, and Commuting: A Search Perspective," Chapters, in: Location, Travel and Information Technology, chapter 11, pages 223-246, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    10. Botha, Ferdi & Kabátek, Jan & Meekes, Jordy & Wilkins, Roger, 2026. "The effects of commuting and working from home arrangements on mental health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 389(C).
    11. Dingel, Jonathan I. & Neiman, Brent, 2020. "How many jobs can be done at home?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    12. Joseph Lanfranchi & Mathieu Narcy & Makram Larguem, 2010. "Shedding new light on intrinsic motivation to work: evidence from a discrete choice experiment," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(1), pages 75-93, February.
    13. Tor Eriksson & Nicolai Kristensen, 2014. "Wages or Fringes? Some Evidence on Trade-Offs and Sorting," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 32(4), pages 899-928.
    14. Alexandre Mas & Amanda Pallais, 2017. "Valuing Alternative Work Arrangements," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(12), pages 3722-3759, December.
    15. Rafael Lalive, 2007. "Unemployment Benefits, Unemployment Duration, and Post-Unemployment Jobs: A Regression Discontinuity Approach," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 97(2), pages 108-112, May.
    16. Haoran He & David Neumark & Qian Weng, 2021. "Do Workers Value Flexible Jobs? A Field Experiment," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 39(3), pages 709-738.
    17. Nicole Maestas & Kathleen J. Mullen & David Powell & Till von Wachter & Jeffrey B. Wenger, 2023. "The Value of Working Conditions in the United States and the Implications for the Structure of Wages," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 113(7), pages 2007-2047, July.
    18. Jacob, Nikita & Munford, Luke & Rice, Nigel & Roberts, Jennifer, 2019. "The disutility of commuting? The effect of gender and local labor markets," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 264-275.
    19. Feld, Brian & Nagy, AbdelRahman & Osman, Adam, 2022. "What do jobseekers want? Comparing methods to estimate reservation wages and the value of job attributes," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    20. Matthew Wiswall & Basit Zafar, 2018. "Preference for the Workplace, Investment in Human Capital, and Gender," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 133(1), pages 457-507.
    21. Markus Nagler & Johannes Rincke & Erwin Winkler, 2022. "How Much Do Workers Actually Value Working from Home?," CESifo Working Paper Series 10073, CESifo.
    22. Roberts, Jennifer & Hodgson, Robert & Dolan, Paul, 2011. "“It's driving her mad”: Gender differences in the effects of commuting on psychological health," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 1064-1076.
    23. Alan B. Krueger & Andreas I. Mueller, 2016. "A Contribution to the Empirics of Reservation Wages," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 8(1), pages 142-179, February.
    24. Non, Arjan & Rohde, Ingrid & de Grip, Andries & Dohmen, Thomas, 2022. "Mission of the company, prosocial attitudes and job preferences: A discrete choice experiment," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    25. Thomas Dohmen & Tomáš Jagelka, 2024. "Accounting for Individual-Specific Reliability of Self-Assessed Measures of Economic Preferences and Personality Traits," Journal of Political Economy Microeconomics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 2(3), pages 399-462.
    26. Ismir Mulalic & Jos N. Van Ommeren & Ninette Pilegaard, 2014. "Wages and Commuting: Quasi‐natural Experiments' Evidence from Firms that Relocate," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 124(579), pages 1086-1105, September.
    27. Nicole Maestas & Kathleen J. Mullen & Alexander Strand, 2013. "Does Disability Insurance Receipt Discourage Work? Using Examiner Assignment to Estimate Causal Effects of SSDI Receipt," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(5), pages 1797-1829, August.
    28. Jose Maria Barrero & Nicholas Bloom & Steven J. Davis, 2020. "COVID-19 Is Also a Reallocation Shock," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 51(2 (Summer), pages 329-383.
    29. Kesternich, Iris & Schumacher, Heiner & Siflinger, Bettina & Schwarz, Stefan, 2021. "Money or meaning? Labor supply responses to work meaning of employed and unemployed individuals," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    30. Le Barbanchon, Thomas & Rathelot, Roland & Roulet, Alexandra, 2019. "Unemployment insurance and reservation wages: Evidence from administrative data," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 1-17.
    31. Simon Jäger & Christopher Roth & Nina Roussille & Benjamin Schoefer, 2024. "Worker Beliefs About Outside Options," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 139(3), pages 1505-1556.
    32. Brown, Sarah & Roberts, Jennifer & Taylor, Karl, 2011. "The gender reservation wage gap: Evidence from British Panel data," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 113(1), pages 88-91, October.
    33. Bernhard Boockmann & Thomas Zwick & Andreas Ammermüller & Michael Maier, 2012. "Do Hiring Subsidies Reduce Unemployment Among Older Workers? Evidence From Natural Experiments," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 10(4), pages 735-764, August.
    34. Andrew C. Johnston & Alexandre Mas, 2018. "Potential Unemployment Insurance Duration and Labor Supply: The Individual and Market-Level Response to a Benefit Cut," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 126(6), pages 2480-2522.
    35. Lefebvre, Pierre & Merrigan, Philip & Verstraete, Matthieu, 2009. "Dynamic labour supply effects of childcare subsidies: Evidence from a Canadian natural experiment on low-fee universal child care," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 490-502, October.
    36. Hong Il Yoo, 2020. "lclogit2: An enhanced command to fit latent class conditional logit models," Stata Journal, StataCorp LLC, vol. 20(2), pages 405-425, June.
    37. Acemoglu, Daron & Autor, David, 2011. "Skills, Tasks and Technologies: Implications for Employment and Earnings," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 12, pages 1043-1171, Elsevier.
    38. Terry Flynn & Marcel Bilger & Chetna Malhotra & Eric Finkelstein, 2016. "Are Efficient Designs Used in Discrete Choice Experiments Too Difficult for Some Respondents? A Case Study Eliciting Preferences for End-of-Life Care," PharmacoEconomics, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 273-284, March.
    39. Sam Desiere & Christian Walter, 2025. "The Shift Premium: Evidence From a Discrete Choice Experiment," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 63(3), pages 508-524, September.
    40. Brown, Sarah & Taylor, Karl, 2015. "The reservation wage curve: Evidence from the UK," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 22-24.
    41. Christina Felfe, 2012. "The Willingness to Pay for Job Amenities: Evidence from Mothers' Return to Work," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 65(2), pages 427-454, April.
    42. Isaac Sorkin, 2018. "Ranking Firms Using Revealed Preference," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 133(3), pages 1331-1393.
    43. Terry N. Flynn & Marcel Bilger & Chetna Malhotra & Eric A. Finkelstein, 2016. "Are Efficient Designs Used in Discrete Choice Experiments Too Difficult for Some Respondents? A Case Study Eliciting Preferences for End-of-Life Care," PharmacoEconomics, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 273-284, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Contreras, Ivette & Dinarte, Lelys & Palacios-Lopez, Amparo & Costa, Valentina & Romero, Steffanny, 2026. "Beyond Wages : What Matters Most in Job Choice for Women in El Salvador," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11333, The World Bank.
    2. Celina Högn & Lea Mayer & Johannes Rincke & Erwin Winkler, 2025. "Preferences for Gender Diversity in High-Profile Jobs," CESifo Working Paper Series 11732, CESifo.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Thomas Le Barbanchon & Roland Rathelot & Alexandra Roulet, 2025. "Gender Differences in Job Search: Trading off Commute against Wage," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 136(1), pages 381-426.
    2. Meekes, Jordy & Hassink, Wolter H.J., 2022. "Gender differences in job flexibility: Commutes and working hours after job loss," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    3. Vij, Akshay & Souza, Flavio F. & Barrie, Helen & Anilan, V. & Sarmiento, Sergio & Washington, Lynette, 2023. "Employee preferences for working from home in Australia," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 214(C), pages 782-800.
    4. Hansen, Stephen & Lambert, Peter John & Bloom, Nicholas & Davis, Steven J. & Sadun, Raffaella & Taska, Bledi, 2023. "Remote Work across Jobs, Companies, and Space," IZA Discussion Papers 15980, IZA Network @ LISER.
    5. Jason Sockin, 2022. "Show Me the Amenity: Are Higher-Paying Firms Better All Around?," CESifo Working Paper Series 9842, CESifo.
    6. Deschacht, Nick & Guillemyn, Inés & Vujic, Suncica, 2025. "Trading Pay for Pensions: Evidence from a Discrete Choice Experiment in the United Kingdom," IZA Discussion Papers 18164, IZA Network @ LISER.
    7. Feld, Brian & Nagy, AbdelRahman & Osman, Adam, 2022. "What do jobseekers want? Comparing methods to estimate reservation wages and the value of job attributes," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    8. Markus Nagler & Johannes Rincke & Erwin Winkler, 2024. "Working from home, commuting, and gender," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(3), pages 1-23, September.
    9. Sam Desiere & Christian Walter, 2025. "The Shift Premium: Evidence From a Discrete Choice Experiment," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 63(3), pages 508-524, September.
    10. Martin Kroczek & Philipp Kugler, 2022. "Heterogeneous Effects of Monetary and Non-Monetary Job Characteristics on Job Attractiveness in Nursing," IAW Discussion Papers 139, Institut für Angewandte Wirtschaftsforschung (IAW).
    11. Kuan-Ming Chen & Ning Ding & John A List & Magne Mogstad, 2025. "Reservation Wages and Workers’ Valuation of Job Flexibility: Evidence from a Natural Field Experiment," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 23(6), pages 2165-2211.
    12. Haoran He & David Neumark & Qian Weng, 2021. "Do Workers Value Flexible Jobs? A Field Experiment," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 39(3), pages 709-738.
    13. Celina Högn & Lea Mayer & Johannes Rincke & Erwin Winkler, 2025. "Preferences for Gender Diversity in High-Profile Jobs," CESifo Working Paper Series 11732, CESifo.
    14. Olle Folke & Johanna Rickne, 2022. "Sexual Harassment and Gender Inequality in the Labor Market [High Wage Workers and High Wage Firms]," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 137(4), pages 2163-2212.
    15. Markus Nagler & Johannes Rincke & Erwin Winkler, 2022. "How Much Do Workers Actually Value Working from Home?," CESifo Working Paper Series 10073, CESifo.
    16. Meekes, Jordy & Hassink, Wolter, 2020. "Fired and Pregnant: Gender Differences in Job Flexibility Outcomes after Job Loss," IZA Discussion Papers 13779, IZA Network @ LISER.
    17. Jośé Ignacio Giménez-Nadal & José Alberto Molina & Jorge Velilla, 2025. "Commuting, Wages, and Household Decisions," Boston College Working Papers in Economics 1087, Boston College Department of Economics.
    18. Guillaume Gueguen & Claudia Senik, 2023. "Adopting telework: The causal impact of working from home on subjective well‐being," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 61(4), pages 832-868, December.
    19. Dauth, Wolfgang & Haller, Peter, 2020. "Is there loss aversion in the trade-off between wages and commuting distances?," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    20. Aum, Sangmin & Kim, Bongseop & Lee, Jungmin, 2025. "Why do you like or dislike your job?," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J32 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Nonwage Labor Costs and Benefits; Retirement Plans; Private Pensions
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:91:y:2024:i:c:s0927537124001271. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/labeco .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.