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Do Higher Wages Come at a Price?

Author

Listed:
  • Dr Alex Bryson

Abstract

Job satisfaction and job anxiety are negatively correlated. Still, using linked employer-employee data for Britain, we find that higher wages are associated with higher job satisfaction and higher job anxiety. While the association between higher wages and job anxiety is robust to the inclusion of effort controls, the association between non pecuniary job satisfaction and wages is not. Co-workers' mean wages are positively associated with pay satisfaction, negatively associated with non-pecuniary job satisfaction but they are not associated with job anxiety. Thus there is no support for the proposition that within-workplace wage differentials are a source of job anxiety.

Suggested Citation

  • Dr Alex Bryson, 2010. "Do Higher Wages Come at a Price?," National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) Discussion Papers 371, National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:nsr:niesrd:371
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Melanie K. Jones & Paul L. Latreille & Peter J. Sloane, 2016. "Job Anxiety, Work-Related Psychological Illness and Workplace Performance," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 54(4), pages 742-767, December.
    2. Daniel I. Rees & Joseph J. Sabia, 2015. "Migraine Headache and Labor Market Outcomes," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(6), pages 659-671, June.
    3. Vermeer, Niels & Mastrogiacomo, Mauro & Van Soest, Arthur, 2016. "Demanding occupations and the retirement age," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 159-170.
    4. Alex Bryson & George MacKerron, 2017. "Are You Happy While You Work?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 127(599), pages 106-125, February.
    5. Getinet A. Haile, 2015. "Workplace Job Satisfaction in Britain: Evidence from Linked Employer–Employee Data," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 29(3), pages 225-242, September.
    6. Rees, Daniel I. & Sabia, Joseph J., 2012. "Migraine Headache and Labor Market Outcomes," IZA Discussion Papers 7034, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Hanh NGUYEN, 2021. "Expectations versus reality: The well‐being of female migrant workers in garment factories in Myanmar," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 160(2), pages 219-242, June.
    8. Heywood, John S. & O'Mahony, Mary & Siebert, W. Stanley & Rincon-Aznar, Ana, 2018. "The Impact of Employment Protection on the Industrial Wage Structure," IZA Discussion Papers 11788, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Andrew E. Clark & Maria Cotofan & Richard Layard, 2024. "Do wages underestimate the inequality in workers' rewards? The joint distribution of job quality and wages across occupations," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 91(362), pages 497-546, April.
    10. Gilles Grolleau & Naoufel Mzoughi & Sanja Pekovic, 2022. "An empirical analysis of the relationship between innovation activities and job satisfaction among French firms," Post-Print hal-03506101, HAL.
    11. Petri Böckerman & Alex Bryson & Antti Kauhanen & Mari Kangasniemi, 2016. "Does Job Support Make Workers Happy?," DoQSS Working Papers 16-16, Quantitative Social Science - UCL Social Research Institute, University College London.
    12. Bryson, Alex & Clark, Andrew E. & Freeman, Richard B. & Green, Colin P., 2016. "Share capitalism and worker wellbeing," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 151-158.
    13. Sevinç, Orhun, 2017. "Skill-biased technical change and Labor market polarization:the role of skill heterogeneity within occupations," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 86147, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    14. Haile, Getinet & Bryson, Alex & White, Michael, 2015. "Spillover effects of unionisation on non-members' wellbeing," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 108-122.
    15. Stavros A. Drakopoulos, 2020. "Pay Level Comparisons in Job Satisfaction Research and Mainstream Economic Methodology," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 825-842, March.
    16. David Marsden, 2021. "Patterns of organizational ownership and employee well‐being in Britain," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 59(4), pages 988-1019, December.
    17. Richard B. Freeman & Wei Huang & Teng Li, 2019. "Non-linear Incentives, Worker Productivity, and Firm Profits: Evidence from a Quasi-experiment," NBER Working Papers 25507, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    18. Maczulskij, Terhi & Haapanen, Mika & Kauhanen, Antti & Riukula, Krista, 2024. "Decentralized wage bargaining and health," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    19. Jones, Melanie K & Latreille, Paul L & Sloane, Peter J, 2011. "NILS Working paper no 180. Job anxiety, work-related psychological illness and workplace performance," NILS Working Papers 26078, National Institute of Labour Studies.
    20. Kajonius, Petri J. & Carlander, Anders, 2017. "Who gets ahead in life? Personality traits and childhood background in economic success," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 164-170.
    21. Haile, Getinet Astatike & Bryson, Alex & White, Michael, 2012. "Heterogeneity in Union Status and Employee Well-Being," IZA Discussion Papers 7075, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    22. Jason Sockin, 2022. "Show Me the Amenity: Are Higher-Paying Firms Better All Around?," CESifo Working Paper Series 9842, CESifo.
    23. Alex Bryson & George MacKerron, 2017. "Are You Happy While You Work?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 127(599), pages 106-125, February.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J28 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J81 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Working Conditions

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