Which type of job mobility makes people happy? A comparative analysis of European welfare regimes

Abstract

In view of changing job mobility patterns in Europe, the impact of job mobility on job satisfaction is gaining importance, yet has received little attention. This article analyses 23 European countries to address two questions: (1) how do different types of job mobility affect job satisfaction, and (2) do welfare state regimes alter the relationship between job mobility and job satisfaction? Theoretically the study integrates economic and sociological approaches to job satisfaction with insights from the psychology of well-being. The findings show that job mobility differentially affects job satisfaction domains. External upward mobility is decisive to enhance satisfaction with objective working conditions and work-life balance, while internal mobility is pivotal for satisfaction with future career prospects. The experience of unemployment lowers all job satisfaction domains even after re-employment. The article's findings on welfare regimes indicate that social policies interact with country differences in workforce composition, such as the overall prevalence of unemployment, to determine job satisfaction.

Why Do Some Employees Fall into and Fail to Exit a Job-Lock Situation?

“…In general having promotion opportunities in the current job increases overall job satisfaction [78]. And, promotion opportunities are themselves mobility opportunities, that is, internal mobility.…”

Cumulative disadvantages of non-employment and non-standard work for career patterns and subjective well-being in retirement

“…However, Fasang, Geerdes, and Schömann (2012) reached the conclusion that even though retirement patterns are differentiated in different welfare systems, they can generate similar levels of income inequality in old age.…”

Hello pension, goodbye tension? The impact of work and institutions on older workers’ labor market participation in Europe

“…Secondly, the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model of work also fits the (dis)utility framework (Bakker & Demerouti 2006;Fasang et al 2012). Job demands refer to ''physical, psychological, social, or organizational aspects of the job that require sustained physical and/or psychological (cognitive and emotional) effort or skills and are therefore associated with certain physiological and/or psychological costs'' (Bakker & Demerouti 2006: 321).…”

“…By including several work and institutional characteristics that have not been investigated before, the present study is wider in scope than earlier studies. In our theoretical model and the analyses, we include work characteristics, more specifically job resources, job demands, and work values; these were found to affect voluntary turnover but have not yet been used to explain the labor participation of older workers (Bakker & Demerouti 2006;Beehr 1986;Fasang et al 2012;Forma 2008;Hayward et al 1998;Lambert et al 2001;Mein et al 2000;Shultz et al 1998;Siegrist & Wahrendorf 2010;Siegrist et al 2006;Smith et al 2011; Van den Broeck et al 2011;Wang & Shultz 2009). …”