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Chasing after “good jobs.” Do they exist and does it matter if they do?

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  • David A. Green

Abstract

Most people believe that there are such things as good jobs—jobs that a worker would consider herself lucky to get. But for economists, the existence of good jobs is debatable. In this paper, I provide a definition of a good job based on various theories of the labour market: a job that involves a surplus captured partly by the worker. I use that definition to guide an empirical investigation of the existence and importance of good jobs. I conclude that good jobs do exist—that the labour market does not just function according to a Roy model with wage differentials reflecting only skill differentials, compensating differentials or bond posting—and that their impact on the overall wage structure is substantial. Finally, I discuss the implications of the existence of good jobs for policy setting and for assessments of the justice of a society. La chasse aux bons emplois. Est-ce qu’ils existent et est-ce que cela importe qu’ils existent? La plupart des gens croient qu’il y a telles choses que de bons emplois : des emplois qu’un travailleur se trouverait chanceux d’avoir. Mais pour les économistes, l’existence de bons emplois est discutable. Dans ce texte, l’auteur propose une définition de bon emploi fondée sur diverses théories du marché du travail : un emploi qui engendre un surplus capturé en partie par le travailleur. Il utilise cette définition pour guider son enquête empirique sur l’existence et l’importance de bons emplois. On conclut que les bons emplois existent – que le marché du travail ne fonctionne pas seulement selon le modèle de Roy avec des différentiels de salaires qui reflètent seulement les différentiels d’habiletés, les différentiels compensatoires, ou le dépôt d’une caution – et que leur impact sur la structure globale des salaires est substantielle. Finalement, l’auteur discute les implications de l’existence de bons emplois sur la définition de politiques et sur l’évaluation du caractère juste d’une société.

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  • David A. Green, 2015. "Chasing after “good jobs.” Do they exist and does it matter if they do?," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 48(4), pages 1215-1265, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:canjec:v:48:y:2015:i:4:p:1215-1265
    DOI: 10.1111/caje.12188
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    1. Jasmin Thomas, 2016. "Trends in Low-Wage Employment in Canada: Incidence, Gap and Intensity, 1997-2014," CSLS Research Reports 2016-10, Centre for the Study of Living Standards.
    2. Alfaro-Urena, Alonso & Manelici, Isabela & Vasquez, Jose P, 2019. "The Effects of Multinationals on Workers: Evidence from Costa Rica," Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, Working Paper Series qt51r419w9, Institute of Industrial Relations, UC Berkeley.
    3. David A. Green & René Morissette & Ben M. Sand & Iain Snoddy, 2019. "Economy-Wide Spillovers from Booms: Long-Distance Commuting and the Spread of Wage Effects," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 37(S2), pages 643-687.
    4. Charles Beach, 2018. "Distributional Gains Of Near Higher Earners," Working Paper 1398, Economics Department, Queen's University.
    5. David A. Green, 2023. "Basic income and the labour market: Labour supply, precarious work and technological change," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 56(4), pages 1195-1220, November.
    6. Alonso Alfaro Urena & Isabela Manelici & Jose P. Vasquez, 2021. "The Effects of Multinationals on Workers: Evidence from Costa Rican Microdata," Working Papers 285, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Policy Studies..
    7. María Alejandra González Arenas, 2019. "Diferencias en la calidad del empleo público en Colombia: una comparación entre empleados de planta y contratistas," Documentos de trabajo 17567, Escuela de Gobierno - Universidad de los Andes.
    8. Ben Sand & Chris Bidner, 2016. "Job Prospects and Pay Gaps: Theory and Evidence on the Gender Gap from U.S. Cities," Discussion Papers dp16-14, Department of Economics, Simon Fraser University.
    9. Charles M. Beach, 2016. "Changing income inequality: A distributional paradigm for Canada," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 49(4), pages 1229-1292, November.
    10. Yu Chen & Matthew Doyle & Francisco Gonzalez, 2019. "Bad Jobs," Working Papers 1902, University of Waterloo, Department of Economics, revised Jan 2019.

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    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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