HOW GOOD IS YOUR JOB? Measuring and assessing job

quality. Discussion

Francis Green LLAKES, Institute of Education

1

Basics

• Job quality as objective concept

• Not a single index

– Compared with EF: 4-item into 3-item index

• Refinements:

– non-linearities ("interactions")

– extensions

– exclusions

2

4 into 3

Earnings

Prospects

Intrinsic Job Quality

Working time quality

Earnings Quality

Labour Market Security

Quality of the Working Environment

3

Extensions

• wider concept of job insecurity, good because:

– insecurity and employability interact to lower well-being

– unemployment flows and duration data widely available across OECD

• but goes beyond the quality of individual jobs

4

Refinements: embedding non-linearity

• Evidence says:

– V. high work loads; insufficient "resources" each impair well-being and health

– Additionally, they may interact: the detrimental impact of a v. high work load is greater with low autonomy

5

6

Panel A. Proportion of workers

reporting that work puts their health or safety at risk

Panel B. Mental health index

Scale 0-5 (from poor to good health status)

3.6

3.7

3.8

3.9

4.0

4.1

4.2

4.3

4.4

4.5

4.6

High job demands

and low job

resources

High job demands

and high job

resources

Low job demands

and low job

resources

Low job demands

and high job

resources

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

High job demands

and low job

resources

High job demands

and high job

resources

Low job demands

and low job

resources

Low job demands

and high job

resources

•High demands and low job resources each affect health.

•Additionally, they interact.

Refinements: embedding non-linearity

• Evidence says: – Higher work loads; lower "resources" each impair

well-being and health – Additionally, they may interact: the detrimental

impact of a v. high work load is greater with low autonomy

• An alternative non-linearity is embedded in the OECD index: a) solely the difference, and b) threshold effect imposed.

• Why is it assumed OK to exclude separate, non-threshold, effects?

7

Switches & Exclusions

• Switches – What's a job demand? [e.g. time flexibility: is this a

resource, or does lack of it represent a demand?]

• Exclusions: – exposure to fumes; tobacco smoke; angry clients;

other – shift working (known to be negatively related to

health) and other aspects of working time quality lost in the collapse to 3 indices

• Why these and other exclusions when the data is there?

8

Future?

•Incorporating lifecycle and other dynamics •Ongoing refinements in EWCS •Extensions to other countries •Any responses to today's comments

9