Generalised self-efficacy and work values as indicators of job satisfaction: evidence from China

This paper examines the role of generalised self-efficacy and work values, on employee reports of overall job satisfaction in China from 2012 to 2014. This paper is novel in two ways. The first is that different aspects of job satisfaction in China are examined in addition to overall satisfaction and the second is that we examine self-efficacy and work values after controlling for occupation and income. The evidence presented supports our various hypotheses that self-efficacy and perceived work values play a large role in determining both reported overall job satisfaction and job satisfaction with various aspects of the job in China. In particular, we find a strong link between the National Vocational Qualification system in China and generalised self-efficacy, which we believe enhances workers sense of capability. The implication for Chinese employers is that it is imperative for their worker productivity that they look after their employees’ perceived self-efficacy, possibly by encouraging access to the National Qualification system and that they also facilitate a good working environment where worker relations or ‘guanxi’ can flourish.