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An Analysis of Subjective Views of Job Insecurity

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  • Francis Green
  • Andrew Dickerson
  • Alan Carruth
  • David Campbell

Abstract

In the 1997 and 1998 waves of the British Household Panel Survey, workers are asked to assess their level of job security in terms of the probability of becoming unemployed within the next year. We examine whether these perceptions of insecurity are purely subjective or are systematically related to certain characteristics of the worker and their current job. The responses offered by workers suggest that around 10% are in fear of becoming unemployed, and this fear is not persistently confined to the same workers or to particular occupational groups. Individuals with a history of unemployment and those holding short-term employment contracts are found to report the greatest levels of insecurity. Finally, we find that workers' perceptions of unemployment are strong predictors of actual unemployment experiences occurring in the subsequent year. We therefore conclude that such subjective measures of insecurity do convey useful information that may be used in further analyses of the workings of the labour market.

Suggested Citation

  • Francis Green & Andrew Dickerson & Alan Carruth & David Campbell, 2001. "An Analysis of Subjective Views of Job Insecurity," Studies in Economics 0108, School of Economics, University of Kent.
    • Handle: RePEc:ukc:ukcedp:0108
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    2. Matthew Polacko & Peter Graefe & Simon Kiss, 2024. "Subjective economic insecurity and attitudes toward immigration and feminists among voters on the Right in Canada," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 105(2), pages 281-295, March.
    3. Francis Green & Nicholas Tsitsianis, 2004. "Can the Changing Nature of Jobs Account for National Trends in Job Satisfaction?," Studies in Economics 0406, School of Economics, University of Kent.
    4. Philip S. Morrison, 2014. "Who Cares about Job Security?," Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School, vol. 17(2), pages 191-210.
    5. Concetta Russo & Marco Terraneo, 2020. "Mental Well-being Among Workers: A Cross-national Analysis of Job Insecurity Impact on the Workforce," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 152(2), pages 421-442, November.
    6. Theodossiou, I. & Vasileiou, E., 2007. "Making the risk of job loss a way of life: Does it affect job satisfaction?," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(2), pages 71-83, June.
    7. Masanori Kuroki, 2012. "The Deregulation of Temporary Employment and Workers' Perceptions of Job Insecurity," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 65(3), pages 560-577, July.
    8. Sonja C. Kassenboehmer & Sonja G. Schatz, 2014. "Re-employment Expectations and the Eye of Providence," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 697, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    9. Sascha Becker & Samuel Bentolila & Ana Fernandes & Andrea Ichino, 2010. "Youth emancipation and perceived job insecurity of parents and children," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 23(3), pages 1047-1071, June.
    10. Petri Böckerman, 2004. "Perception of Job Instability in Europe," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 67(3), pages 283-314, July.
    11. Francis Green, 2003. "The Rise and Decline of Job Insecurity," Studies in Economics 0305, School of Economics, University of Kent.
    12. Eitan Hourie & Miki Malul & Raphael Bar-El, 2018. "The Value of Job Security: Does Having It Matter?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 139(3), pages 1131-1145, October.
    13. Mandal, Bidisha & Ayyagari, Padmaja & Gallo, William T., 2011. "Job loss and depression: The role of subjective expectations," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(4), pages 576-583, February.
    14. Lisa Toczek & Hans Bosma & Richard Peter, 2022. "Early retirement intentions: the impact of employment biographies, work stress and health among a baby-boomer generation," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1479-1491, December.
    15. Kassenboehmer, Sonja C. & Schatz, Sonja G., 2017. "Re-employment expectations and realisations: Prediction errors and behavioural responses," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 161-176.
    16. Hyojin Seo, 2021. "‘Dual’ labour market? Patterns of segmentation in European labour markets and the varieties of precariousness," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 27(4), pages 485-503, November.
    17. Verena Dill & Uwe Jirjahn, 2014. "Foreign Owners and Perceived Job Insecurity in Germany: Evidence from Linked Employer-Employee Data," Research Papers in Economics 2014-09, University of Trier, Department of Economics.
    18. Peter Howie & Zauresh Atakhanova, 2020. "Heterogeneous labor and structural change in low- and middle-income, resource-dependent countries," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 297-332, May.
    19. Masanori Kuroki, 2016. "An Analysis of Perceptions of Job Insecurity among White and Black Workers in the United States: 1977–2012," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 43(3), pages 289-300, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    unemployment expectations; job satisfaction; cross-section models; panel data;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J28 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy
    • C21 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models
    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models

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