Macroeconomic Conditions When Young Shape Job Preferences for Life

Lea Cassar (), Maria Cotofan, Robert Dur and Stephan Meier

No 15639, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: Preferences for monetary and non-monetary job attributes are important for understanding workers’ motivation and the organization of work. Little is known, however, about how those job preferences are formed. We study how macroeconomic conditions when young shape workers’ job preferences for the rest of their life. Using variation in income-per-capita across US regions and over time since the 1920s, we find that job preferences vary in systematic ways with experienced macroeconomic conditions during young adulthood. Recessions create cohorts of workers who give higher priority to income, whereas booms make cohorts care more about job meaning, for the rest of their life.

Keywords: Preferences for job attributes; Experience; Macroeconomic condition; Generational difference (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D9 E7 J2 M5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hrm and nep-mac
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Macroeconomic Conditions When Young Shape Job Preferences for Life (2023)
Working Paper: Macroeconomic Conditions When Young Shape Job Preferences for Life (2021)
Working Paper: Macroeconomic Conditions When Young Shape Job Preferences for Life (2020)
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