Category Archives: Occupation/Job type

Do all job changes increase wellbeing?

A job change tends to be a positive event, but not all job changes are equal.  We show that the largest increases in job satisfaction are associated with changes in employers.  A change in workplace while working with the same employer can be associated with increased job satisfaction, but only when it also involves a change in job role.  We also find correlations between job changes and mental health and, to a lesser extent, life satisfaction; these changes in broader wellbeing are especially pronounced for women.

Longhi S., Nandi A., Bryan M., Connolly S., Gedikli C. (2024) Do All Job Changes Increase Wellbeing?  Industrial Relations – A Journal of Economy and Society.

The Effect of Occupation on Poverty among Minority Ethnic Groups

Research Report for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF).

Brynin M., Longhi S. (2015) The Effect of Occupation on Poverty among Minority Ethnic Groups, Report for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Occupational Change and Mobility among Employed and Unemployed Job Seekers

We use data from the Labour Force Survey to show that employed and unemployed job seekers in Great Britain originate from different occupations and find jobs in different occupations. We find substantial differences in occupational mobility between job seekers: employed job seekers are most likely to move to occupations paying higher average wages relative to their previous occupation, while unemployed job seekers are most likely to move to lower paying occupations. Employed and unemployed job seekers exhibit different patterns of occupational mobility and, therefore, do not accept the same types of jobs.

Longhi S., Taylor M. (2013) Occupational Change and Mobility among Employed and Unemployed Job Seekers, Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 60(1) 71-100.

Occupational Change in Britain and Germany

We use British and German panel data to analyse job changes involving a change in occupation. We assess: (1) the extent of occupational change, taking into account the possibility of measurement error in occupational codes; (2) whether job changes within the occupation differ from occupation changes in terms of the characteristics of those making such switches; and (3) the effects of the two kinds of moves in respect of wages and job satisfaction. We find that occupation changes differ from other job changes, generally reflecting a less satisfactory employment situation, but also that the move in both cases is positive in respect of change in wages and job satisfaction.

Longhi S., Brynin M. (2010) Occupational Change in Britain and Germany, Labour Economics, 17 (4): 655-666.