Perceptions of non-pecuniary job quality using linked employer–employee data

Abstract

We use linked employer–employee data to examine the relationship between non-pecuniary job quality and workplace characteristics in Britain and France: countries with very different employment regimes. Job quality is measured through eight dimensions which are summarized in a synthetic index. We show that firm size is negatively associated with non-pecuniary job quality in both countries, but in France, the association is confined to only the largest firms. Internal labour markets are associated with higher job quality in France along numerous dimensions but do not improve job quality in Britain except on one dimension: they reduce the adverse effects of work on one’s private life.