Looking for a “Better” Job: Job Characteristics and On-the-Job Search among the Employed in the Metropolitan Labor Market

Abstract

As the gap between “good” and “bad” jobs widens, the opportunity for upward mobility from entry-level to well-paying career jobs declines. On-the-job search is particularly important as a mobility strategy to those with undesirable jobs. This paper examines the effects of low pay, lack of fringe benefits, and other job-related attributes on the likelihood of job search among the employed in the metropolitan labor market. The data come from the 1997–1999 Current Population Survey Contingent Work Supplements. Findings from logistic regression analyses suggest that undesirable job characteristics, rather than expected wage gain, are the major factors motivating on-the-job search. These characteristics include nonstandard, nonunionized, low-skilled, and low paying jobs, and lack of fringe benefits. Jobs with low wages and few benefits are typically associated with nonstandard, nonunionized, and low-skilled work. This paper concludes with a discussion of the policy implications of these findings for workforce development and career advancement.