Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to study the level of job satisfaction among Australian i... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the level of job satisfaction among Australian immigrants relative to the native-born over time as a measure of their labour market assimilation.
Design/methodology/approach – Using the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia panel data set, six measures of job satisfaction are tested using the random effects Generalised Least Squares method with a Mundlak correction. Labour market assimilation is defined by “years since arrival” and also via cohort effects.
Findings – The authors find statistical evidence of general job dissatisfaction amongst immigrants in Australia relative to the native-born, driven mainly by non-English Speaking Background (NESB) immigrants, though this dissipates for long-term immigrants, irrespective of English Speaking Background (ESB) or NESB status. Econometric results strengthen these results though improvements over time are only strongly evident for NESB immigrants, whilst results for ESB immigrants remain mixed, and is dependent on the definition of “assimilation”.
Originality/value – This paper extends the immigrant labour market assimilation literature by introducing job satisfaction as a measure of assimilation.
Australian immigration policy, in common with the US and Canada, has increased the emphasis on sk... more Australian immigration policy, in common with the US and Canada, has increased the emphasis on skill based selection criteria. A key premise of this policy is that skilled immigrants are more employable and can add to the productive capacity of the economy. However, this e¤ect will be diminished if immigrants are working in occupations that fail to utilise their skills. We examine the extent of overeducation for recently arrived immigrants to Australia. We …nd that they are more likely to be overeducated than the native population, even if they enter on skill based visas.
There has been concern that the increase in non-standard or flexible employment contracts witness... more There has been concern that the increase in non-standard or flexible employment contracts witnessed in many OECD economies is evidence of a growth in low-pay, low-quality jobs. In practice, however, it is difficult to evaluate the `quality' of flexible jobs. Previous research has either investigated objective measures of job quality such as wages and training or subjective measures such as job satisfaction. In this paper, we seek to jointly evaluate objective and subjective elements of flexible employment contracts.
Australian immigration policy, in common with the US and Canada, has increased the emphasis on sk... more Australian immigration policy, in common with the US and Canada, has increased the emphasis on skill based selection criteria. A key premise of this policy is that skilled immigrants are more employable and can add to the productive capacity of the economy. However, this e¤ect will be diminished if immigrants are working in occupations that fail to utilise their skills. We examine the extent of overeducation for recently arrived immigrants to Australia. We …nd that they are more likely to be overeducated than the native population, even if they enter on skill based visas.
This paper investigates six different aspects of job satisfaction by gender over a four year peri... more This paper investigates six different aspects of job satisfaction by gender over a four year period in the Australian labour market using the HILDA panel dataset. We find females to be more satisfied with five of the six job satisfaction measures, and to be statistically just as satisfied with males for the sixth (flexibility). Running gender separated random effects ordered probit models, we report that gender differences with different aspects of job satisfaction can be partially explained by both personal and labour market characteristics. In particular, job satisfaction for females is far less influenced by past labour market participation compared to males. Differences in workplace characteristics are less pronounced though unionised females are less satisfied at work compared to non-unionised females; a finding far less pronounced for males.
This paper investigates the level of, as well as the determinants of financial satisfaction among... more This paper investigates the level of, as well as the determinants of financial satisfaction among African immigrants in Australia. It does so by broadening the arena of investigation beyond that of the labour market alone in order to better capture the characteristics of this group that could explain which factors play a significant role in explaining their expression of financial satisfaction. The panel-type HILDA Survey provides data about different aspects of life satisfaction. Based on this dataset, preliminary findings show that African immigrants in Australia are less satisfied with their financial situation compared to almost all other groups. Further investigation reveals that characteristics such as age, labour force status and education significantly contribute to determining the financial satisfaction of African-born people in Australia. Overall, the findings are largely consistent with the wider literature and suggest that investigations of immigrant integration that exclude nonlabour market measures do not provide a full picture of the immigrant integration experience in Australia.
Australian immigration policy, in common with the US and Canada, has increased the emphasis on sk... more Australian immigration policy, in common with the US and Canada, has increased the emphasis on skill based selection criteria. A key premise of this policy is that skilled immigrants are more employable and can add to the productive capacity of the economy. However, this e¤ect will be diminished if immigrants are working in occupations that fail to utilise their skills. We examine the extent of overeducation for recently arrived immigrants to Australia. We …nd that they are more likely to be overeducated than the native population, even if they enter on skill based visas.
There has been concern that the increase in non-standard or flexible employment contracts witness... more There has been concern that the increase in non-standard or flexible employment contracts witnessed in many OECD economies is evidence of a growth in low-pay, low-quality jobs. In practice, however, it is difficult to evaluate the `quality' of flexible jobs. Previous research has either investigated objective measures of job quality such as wages and training or subjective measures such as job satisfaction. In this paper, we seek to jointly evaluate objective and subjective elements of flexible employment contracts.
Using data from the first wave of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia data set... more Using data from the first wave of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia data set, this article establishes an empirical relationship between overeducation and workplace satisfaction for Australian adult males in the labour force. In a departure from much of the existing literature, both univariate and bivariate probit models are used to account for potential unobserved heterogeneity. We
ABSTRACT This article investigates the apparent paradox of females possessing higher levels of jo... more ABSTRACT This article investigates the apparent paradox of females possessing higher levels of job satisfaction compared to their male counterparts despite possessing worse employment outcomes. Postulating that the female workforce is heterogeneous by age, education and the presence of children, we create four groups; the aggregated, young and childless, young with children and the educated. The article finds statistical evidence of significant gender differences, though not uniformly so. Econometric results, however, paint a muddier picture, indicating that statistical results alone should not be used to categorically report incidences of gender differences in job satisfaction. Sample-selection bias results also evince sub-group heterogeneity and require further study. The determinants of job satisfaction vary between measures and sub-groups, though not necessarily so across gender. In sum, the article finds that the paradox does exhibit itself for the aggregated and young and childless sub-groups, but is largely absent for the young with children group. As well, there is a clear bifurcation in job satisfaction between genders for the educated sub-group. This suggests that employed females should not be viewed as a monolithic bloc in the labour force.
ABSTRACT Policy-makers worldwide have attempted a number of strategies over the last few decades ... more ABSTRACT Policy-makers worldwide have attempted a number of strategies over the last few decades to increase female labour-force participation without jeopardizing their choice of also maintaining a fulfilling family life, should they choose to do so. One such Australian strategy heavily subscribed by females with young children has been to promote part-time employment. Results provide evidence that females with young children at home engaged in part-time employment are generally more satisfied with their working hours and work–life balance relative to those with older and no children, whilst the opposite holds when looking at those in full-time employment. This suggests that part-time employment should be pursued as a policy tool to aid females with young children maintain a relationship with the labour market without having to also give up being the primary carer of their children.
The effects of the global financial crisis on workers’ anxiety are examined using panel data from... more The effects of the global financial crisis on workers’ anxiety are examined using panel data from Australia. Australia presents a unique opportunity to estimate anxiety effects as it emerged from the crisis period without enduring a recession and the economy rebounded very quickly. Our estimates focus on workers who are overeducated and their perceptions of job security; this group are known to have lower levels of satisfaction with job security and so offer a baseline estimate from which to evaluate changes associated with the crisis. We argue that a workers level of commitments and responsibilities would be important in determining anxiety effects. The results support this contention; partnered workers exhibit significantly lower satisfaction with job security after the crisis and this is increased if children are present. More objective assessments of their employment stability and their financial conditions following the crisis were also examined. These factors did not seem to explain the relative changes in job security satisfaction, suggesting these were more likely to be general anxiety effects.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to study the level of job satisfaction among Australian i... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the level of job satisfaction among Australian immigrants relative to the native-born over time as a measure of their labour market assimilation.
Design/methodology/approach – Using the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia panel data set, six measures of job satisfaction are tested using the random effects Generalised Least Squares method with a Mundlak correction. Labour market assimilation is defined by “years since arrival” and also via cohort effects.
Findings – The authors find statistical evidence of general job dissatisfaction amongst immigrants in Australia relative to the native-born, driven mainly by non-English Speaking Background (NESB) immigrants, though this dissipates for long-term immigrants, irrespective of English Speaking Background (ESB) or NESB status. Econometric results strengthen these results though improvements over time are only strongly evident for NESB immigrants, whilst results for ESB immigrants remain mixed, and is dependent on the definition of “assimilation”.
Originality/value – This paper extends the immigrant labour market assimilation literature by introducing job satisfaction as a measure of assimilation.
Australian immigration policy, in common with the US and Canada, has increased the emphasis on sk... more Australian immigration policy, in common with the US and Canada, has increased the emphasis on skill based selection criteria. A key premise of this policy is that skilled immigrants are more employable and can add to the productive capacity of the economy. However, this e¤ect will be diminished if immigrants are working in occupations that fail to utilise their skills. We examine the extent of overeducation for recently arrived immigrants to Australia. We …nd that they are more likely to be overeducated than the native population, even if they enter on skill based visas.
There has been concern that the increase in non-standard or flexible employment contracts witness... more There has been concern that the increase in non-standard or flexible employment contracts witnessed in many OECD economies is evidence of a growth in low-pay, low-quality jobs. In practice, however, it is difficult to evaluate the `quality' of flexible jobs. Previous research has either investigated objective measures of job quality such as wages and training or subjective measures such as job satisfaction. In this paper, we seek to jointly evaluate objective and subjective elements of flexible employment contracts.
Australian immigration policy, in common with the US and Canada, has increased the emphasis on sk... more Australian immigration policy, in common with the US and Canada, has increased the emphasis on skill based selection criteria. A key premise of this policy is that skilled immigrants are more employable and can add to the productive capacity of the economy. However, this e¤ect will be diminished if immigrants are working in occupations that fail to utilise their skills. We examine the extent of overeducation for recently arrived immigrants to Australia. We …nd that they are more likely to be overeducated than the native population, even if they enter on skill based visas.
This paper investigates six different aspects of job satisfaction by gender over a four year peri... more This paper investigates six different aspects of job satisfaction by gender over a four year period in the Australian labour market using the HILDA panel dataset. We find females to be more satisfied with five of the six job satisfaction measures, and to be statistically just as satisfied with males for the sixth (flexibility). Running gender separated random effects ordered probit models, we report that gender differences with different aspects of job satisfaction can be partially explained by both personal and labour market characteristics. In particular, job satisfaction for females is far less influenced by past labour market participation compared to males. Differences in workplace characteristics are less pronounced though unionised females are less satisfied at work compared to non-unionised females; a finding far less pronounced for males.
This paper investigates the level of, as well as the determinants of financial satisfaction among... more This paper investigates the level of, as well as the determinants of financial satisfaction among African immigrants in Australia. It does so by broadening the arena of investigation beyond that of the labour market alone in order to better capture the characteristics of this group that could explain which factors play a significant role in explaining their expression of financial satisfaction. The panel-type HILDA Survey provides data about different aspects of life satisfaction. Based on this dataset, preliminary findings show that African immigrants in Australia are less satisfied with their financial situation compared to almost all other groups. Further investigation reveals that characteristics such as age, labour force status and education significantly contribute to determining the financial satisfaction of African-born people in Australia. Overall, the findings are largely consistent with the wider literature and suggest that investigations of immigrant integration that exclude nonlabour market measures do not provide a full picture of the immigrant integration experience in Australia.
Australian immigration policy, in common with the US and Canada, has increased the emphasis on sk... more Australian immigration policy, in common with the US and Canada, has increased the emphasis on skill based selection criteria. A key premise of this policy is that skilled immigrants are more employable and can add to the productive capacity of the economy. However, this e¤ect will be diminished if immigrants are working in occupations that fail to utilise their skills. We examine the extent of overeducation for recently arrived immigrants to Australia. We …nd that they are more likely to be overeducated than the native population, even if they enter on skill based visas.
There has been concern that the increase in non-standard or flexible employment contracts witness... more There has been concern that the increase in non-standard or flexible employment contracts witnessed in many OECD economies is evidence of a growth in low-pay, low-quality jobs. In practice, however, it is difficult to evaluate the `quality' of flexible jobs. Previous research has either investigated objective measures of job quality such as wages and training or subjective measures such as job satisfaction. In this paper, we seek to jointly evaluate objective and subjective elements of flexible employment contracts.
Using data from the first wave of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia data set... more Using data from the first wave of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia data set, this article establishes an empirical relationship between overeducation and workplace satisfaction for Australian adult males in the labour force. In a departure from much of the existing literature, both univariate and bivariate probit models are used to account for potential unobserved heterogeneity. We
ABSTRACT This article investigates the apparent paradox of females possessing higher levels of jo... more ABSTRACT This article investigates the apparent paradox of females possessing higher levels of job satisfaction compared to their male counterparts despite possessing worse employment outcomes. Postulating that the female workforce is heterogeneous by age, education and the presence of children, we create four groups; the aggregated, young and childless, young with children and the educated. The article finds statistical evidence of significant gender differences, though not uniformly so. Econometric results, however, paint a muddier picture, indicating that statistical results alone should not be used to categorically report incidences of gender differences in job satisfaction. Sample-selection bias results also evince sub-group heterogeneity and require further study. The determinants of job satisfaction vary between measures and sub-groups, though not necessarily so across gender. In sum, the article finds that the paradox does exhibit itself for the aggregated and young and childless sub-groups, but is largely absent for the young with children group. As well, there is a clear bifurcation in job satisfaction between genders for the educated sub-group. This suggests that employed females should not be viewed as a monolithic bloc in the labour force.
ABSTRACT Policy-makers worldwide have attempted a number of strategies over the last few decades ... more ABSTRACT Policy-makers worldwide have attempted a number of strategies over the last few decades to increase female labour-force participation without jeopardizing their choice of also maintaining a fulfilling family life, should they choose to do so. One such Australian strategy heavily subscribed by females with young children has been to promote part-time employment. Results provide evidence that females with young children at home engaged in part-time employment are generally more satisfied with their working hours and work–life balance relative to those with older and no children, whilst the opposite holds when looking at those in full-time employment. This suggests that part-time employment should be pursued as a policy tool to aid females with young children maintain a relationship with the labour market without having to also give up being the primary carer of their children.
The effects of the global financial crisis on workers’ anxiety are examined using panel data from... more The effects of the global financial crisis on workers’ anxiety are examined using panel data from Australia. Australia presents a unique opportunity to estimate anxiety effects as it emerged from the crisis period without enduring a recession and the economy rebounded very quickly. Our estimates focus on workers who are overeducated and their perceptions of job security; this group are known to have lower levels of satisfaction with job security and so offer a baseline estimate from which to evaluate changes associated with the crisis. We argue that a workers level of commitments and responsibilities would be important in determining anxiety effects. The results support this contention; partnered workers exhibit significantly lower satisfaction with job security after the crisis and this is increased if children are present. More objective assessments of their employment stability and their financial conditions following the crisis were also examined. These factors did not seem to explain the relative changes in job security satisfaction, suggesting these were more likely to be general anxiety effects.
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Papers by Parvinder Kler
– The purpose of this paper is to study the level of job satisfaction among Australian immigrants relative to the native-born over time as a measure of their labour market assimilation.
Design/methodology/approach
– Using the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia panel data set, six measures of job satisfaction are tested using the random effects Generalised Least Squares method with a Mundlak correction. Labour market assimilation is defined by “years since arrival” and also via cohort effects.
Findings
– The authors find statistical evidence of general job dissatisfaction amongst immigrants in Australia relative to the native-born, driven mainly by non-English Speaking Background (NESB) immigrants, though this dissipates for long-term immigrants, irrespective of English Speaking Background (ESB) or NESB status. Econometric results strengthen these results though improvements over time are only strongly evident for NESB immigrants, whilst results for ESB immigrants remain mixed, and is dependent on the definition of “assimilation”.
Originality/value
– This paper extends the immigrant labour market assimilation literature by introducing job satisfaction as a measure of assimilation.
– The purpose of this paper is to study the level of job satisfaction among Australian immigrants relative to the native-born over time as a measure of their labour market assimilation.
Design/methodology/approach
– Using the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia panel data set, six measures of job satisfaction are tested using the random effects Generalised Least Squares method with a Mundlak correction. Labour market assimilation is defined by “years since arrival” and also via cohort effects.
Findings
– The authors find statistical evidence of general job dissatisfaction amongst immigrants in Australia relative to the native-born, driven mainly by non-English Speaking Background (NESB) immigrants, though this dissipates for long-term immigrants, irrespective of English Speaking Background (ESB) or NESB status. Econometric results strengthen these results though improvements over time are only strongly evident for NESB immigrants, whilst results for ESB immigrants remain mixed, and is dependent on the definition of “assimilation”.
Originality/value
– This paper extends the immigrant labour market assimilation literature by introducing job satisfaction as a measure of assimilation.