Self-employment and Subjective Well-Being

Arbeitspapier

Self-employment contributes to employment growth and innovativeness and many individuals want to become self-employed due to the autonomy and exibility it brings. Using "subjective well-being" as a broad summary measure that evaluates an individual's experience of being self-employed, the chapter discusses evidence and explanations why self-employment is positively associated with job satisfaction, even though the self-employed often earn less than their employed peers, work longer hours and experience more stress and higher job demands. Despite being more satisfied with their jobs, the self-employed do not necessarily enjoy higher overall life satisfaction, which is due to heterogeneity of types of self-employment, as well as motivational factors, work characteristics and institutional setups across countries.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: GLO Discussion Paper ; No. 744

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Entrepreneurship ; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity ; Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy
• Subject: self-employment ; entrepreneurship ; subjective well-being ; job satisfaction ; life satisfaction

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Binder, Martin ; Blankenberg, Ann-Kathrin
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Global Labor Organization (GLO)
• (where): Essen
• (when): 2021

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/228453
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET