Worker sorting and job satisfaction : the case of union and government jobs
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Industrial and Labor Relations Review
Publication Date
7-1-2002
Volume
55
Issue
4
First Page
595
Last Page
609
Abstract
In initial cross-section estimates using data from the 1991-94 British Household Panel Study, the authors find that union members had lower overall job satisfaction than non-union members, and public sector workers had higher satisfaction than private sector workers. Controlling for individual worker effects (sorting) using panel methods confirms the lower satisfaction of union members, but eliminates the higher satisfaction of public sector workers. These results suggest that unions do not simply attract the dissatisfied, as previously suggested. By contrast, the greater satisfaction expressed by public sector workers seems largely a consequence of sorting, with those who are more easily satisfied being drawn to the public sector. Additional analysis of particular aspects of satisfaction, including satisfaction with pay, the work itself, and relations with the boss, generally supports these conclusions.
DOI
10.2307/3270624
Print ISSN
00197939
E-ISSN
2162271X
Publisher Statement
Copyright © by Cornell University
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Heywood, J. S., Siebert, W. S., & Wei, X. (2002). Worker sorting and job satisfaction: The case of union and government jobs. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 55(4), 595-609. doi: 10.2307/3270624