Are Dangerous Jobs Paid Better? European Evidence
New Analyses of Worker Well-Being
ISBN: 978-1-78350-056-7, eISBN: 978-1-78350-057-4
Publication date: 11 August 2014
Abstract
This article tests whether workers are indifferent between risky and safe jobs provided that, in labor market equilibrium, wages should serve as a utility equalizing device. Workers’ preferences are elicited through a partial measure of overall job satisfaction: satisfaction with job-related risk. Given that selectivity turns out to be important, we use selectivity corrected models. Results show that wage differentials do not exclusively compensate workers for being in dangerous jobs. However, as job characteristics are substitutable in workers’ utility, they could feel satisfied, even if they were not fully compensated financially for working in dangerous jobs.
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Acknowledgements
Acknowledgments
We acknowledge financial support by the EU (EPICURUS project), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (ECO2011-23634), and Junta de Andalucía (P07-SEJ-03155). Comments by Dr. Ali Skalli and two anonymous referees are gratefully acknowledged.
Citation
Georgantzis, N. and Vasileiou, E. (2014), "Are Dangerous Jobs Paid Better? European Evidence", New Analyses of Worker Well-Being (Research in Labor Economics, Vol. 38), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 163-192. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0147-9121(2013)0000038005
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2013 by Emerald Group Publishing Limited