Job satisfaction and co-worker wages: status or signal?

Article dans une revue: We use matched employer-employee panel data to show that individual job satisfaction is higher when other workers in the same establishment are better-paid. This runs counter to substantial existing evidence of income comparisons in subjective well-being. We argue that the difference hinges on the nature of the reference group. Here we use co-workers. Their earnings not only induce jealousy but also provide a signal about the worker's own future earnings. In our data, this positive future earnings signal outweighs any negative status effect. This phenomenon is stronger for men and in the private sector but weaker for those nearer retirement.

Auteur(s)

Andrew E. Clark, Nicolai Kristensen, Niels Westergaard-Nielsen

Revue
  • The Economic Journal
Date de publication
  • 2009
Pages
  • 430-447
Version
  • 1
Volume
  • 119