Research Article
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Wellbeing Consequences of Unemployment and Working with a Job Dissatisfaction in Turkey

Year 2022, Volume: 14 Issue: 4, 124 - 141, 15.04.2023
https://doi.org/10.33818/ier.1201608

Abstract

This study aims to answer the following two questions. First, are the unemployed unhappy compared to the employed? Second, are unemployed individuals even unhappier compared to people who are unsatisfied with their job? We utilize the the Life Satisfaction Survey’s individual level data between 2004-2020 period. The LSS survey is a nationally representative survey with more than 324,000 observations in 17 years. Firstly, after controlling for household income, the unemployed have a considerably lower wellbeing than the employed. However, compared to employed people who are dissatisfied with their job, the unemployed’s wellbeing is statistically significantly higher. Thus, it appears that unemployment is a negative life event in Turkey as in elsewhere, but so is working in a toxic job. Moreover, we find strong gender effects as males and particularly married males suffer more from unemployment. Also, a quarter of the unemployed report that they feel social pressure due to unemployment. These findings suggest that social approval plays some role in the impact of unemployment. Our findings imply that societies similar to Turkey in terms of labor market would be better off with some unemployment insurance program as it signals to potential quitters that some unemployment is tolerated by society.

References

  • Acemoglu, D. and R. Shimer (2000). Productivity Gains from Unemployment Insurance. European Economic Review 44(7), 1195-1224.
  • Alan, S., G. Corekcioglu and M. Sutter (2022). Improving Workplace Climate in Large Corporations: A Clustered Randomized Intervention. MPI Collective Goods Discussion Paper(2021/17).
  • Axelrad, H., A. Sherman and I. Luski (2020). The Effect of Employment on the Subjective Well-Being of 60–80 Years Old People. International Journal of Social Economics, 47(12), 1481-1497.
  • Aysan, M.F. and U. Aysan (2017). The Effect of Employment Status on Life Satisfaction in Europe Empirical Studies on Economics of Innovation, Public Economics and Management (pp. 335-347): Springer.
  • Becchetti, L. and G.Conzo (2022). The Gender Life Satisfaction/Depression Paradox. Social Indicators Research 160(1), 35-113.
  • Blanchflower, D. G. (2021). Is Happiness U-Shaped Everywhere? Age and Subjective Well-Being in 145 Countries. Journal of Population Economics, 34(2), 575-624.
  • Böckerman, P. and P. Ilmakunnas (2006). Elusive Effects of Unemployment on Happiness. Social Indicators Research 79(1), 159-169.
  • Chung, H. Y. and Y. Hahn (2021). Work Transitions, Gender, and Subjective Well-Being. Applied Research in Quality of Life 16(5), 2085-2109.
  • Clark, A., Y. Georgellis. and P. Sanfey (2001). Scarring: The Psychological Impact of Past Unemployment. Economica, 68(270), 221-241.
  • Clark, A. and A. Oswald (1994). Unhappiness and Unemployment. Economic Journal, 104(424), 648-659.
  • Clark, A. E. (2003). Unemployment as a Social Norm: Psychological Evidence from Panel Data. Journal of Labor Economics 21(2), 323-351.
  • Clark, A. E. and Y. Georgellis (2013). Back to Baseline in Britain: Adaptation in the British Household Panel Survey. Economica, 80(319), 496-512.
  • Cummins, R. A. (2000). Objective and Subjective Quality of Life: An Interactive Model. Social indicators Research 52(1), 55-72. De Jonge, J., H. Bosma, R. Peter and J. Siegrist (2000). Job Strain, Effort-Reward Imbalance and Employee Well-Being: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Study. Social Science & Medicine 50(9), 1317-1327.
  • Diener, E., R.E. Lucas and C. N. Scollon (2009). Beyond the Hedonic Treadmill: Revising the Adaptation Theory of Well-Being The Science of Well-Being (pp. 103-118): Springer.
  • Dietz, M. and U. Walwei (2011). Germany—No Country for Old Workers? Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung, 44(4), 363-376.
  • Duraisingam, V., K. Pidd and A. M. Roche (2009). The Impact of Work Stress and Job Satisfaction on Turnover Intentions: A Study of Australian Specialist Alcohol and Other Drug Workers. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy 16(3), 217-231.
  • Eger, R. J. and J. H. Maridal (2015). A Statistical Meta-Analysis of the Wellbeing Literature, International Journal of Wellbeing, 5(2), 47-74.
  • Ensminger, M. E. and D. D. Celentano (1990). Gender Differences in the Effect of Unemployment on Psychological Distress. Social Science & Medicine, 30(4), 469-477.
  • Erdil, O. and Ö. G. Ertosun (2011). The Relationship between Social Climate and Loneliness in the Workplace and Effects on Employee Well-Being. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 24, 505-525.
  • Fortin, N. M. (2005). Gender Role Attitudes and the Labour-Market Outcomes of Women across Oecd Countries. Oxford Review of Economic Policy 21(3), 416-438.
  • Gallo, W. T., E. H. Bradley, M. Siegel and S. V. Kasl (2000). Health Effects of Involuntary Job Loss among Older Workers: Findings from the Health and Retirement Survey. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 55(3), S131-S140.
  • Gedikli, C., M. Miraglia, S. Connolly, M. Bryan and D. Watson (2022). The Relationship between Unemployment and Wellbeing: An Updated Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Evidence. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 1-17.
  • Harvey, S. B., M. Modini, S. Joyce, J. S. Milligan-Saville, L. Tan , A. Mykletun, . . . P.B. Mitchell, (2017). Can Work Make You Mentally Ill? A Systematic Meta-Review of Work-Related Risk Factors for Common Mental Health Problems. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 74(4), 301-310.
  • Jahoda, M., P. Lazarsfeld and H. Zeisel (1933). Marienthal: The Sociography of an Unemployed Community (English Translation, 1971). London: Tavistock Publications.
  • Kandiyoti, D. (1997). Cariyeler, Bacılar, Yoldaşlar: Kimlikler Ve Toplumsal Dönüşümler Çev(A. Bora, F. Sayılan, Ş. Tekeli, H. Tapınç Ve F. Özbay). İstanbul: Metis.
  • Kanlıoğlu, M. B. and D. Dumludağ, D. (2022). The Relationship between Unemployment, Employment Expectations and Happiness in Turkey for the Years: 2003-2018. Journal of Research in Economics, 6(1), 1-19.
  • Knabe, A. and S. Rätzel. (2010). Better an Insecure Job Than No Job at All? Unemployment, Job Insecurity and Subjective Wellbeing. Economics Bulletin, 30(3), 2486-2494.
  • Kuzu, S., S. Elmas-Atay and M. Gerçek (2019). The Analysis of Unemployment, Happiness and Demographic Factors Using Log-Linear Models. International Journal of Economics and Business Research, 17(1), 87-105.
  • Layard, R. (2005). Happiness: Lessons from a New Science. London: Allan Lane.
  • Leana, C. R. and D. C. Feldman (1991). Gender Differences in Responses to Unemployment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 38(1), 65-77.
  • Lucas, R. E., A. E Clark, Y. Georgellis and E. Diener (2004). Unemployment Alters the Set Point for Life Satisfaction. Psychological Science 15(1), 8-13.
  • OECD. (2022). Work-Life Balance. Retrieved from Paris:
  • Shaw, J. D. (1999). Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intentions: The Moderating Role of Positive Affect. The Journal of Social Psychology, 139(2), 242-244.
  • Sherman, A. and T. Shavit (2018). The Thrill of Creative Effort at Work: An Empirical Study on Work, Creative Effort and Well-Being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 19(7), 2049-2069.
  • Stutzer, A. and R. Lalive (2004). The Role of Social Work Norms in Job Searching and Subjective Well-Being. Journal of the European Economic Association, 2(4), 696-719.
  • Susanlı, Z. B. (2018). Life Satisfaction and Unemployment in Turkey: Evidence from Life Satisfaction Surveys 2004–2013. Quality & Quantity, 52(1), 479-499.
  • TÜİK. (2022). İşgücü İstatistikleri (2014 Ve Sonrası). Retrieved from Ankara:
  • Ugur, Z. B. (2018). Life-Work Imbalance and Its Effects on Well-Being of Employees in Turkey. In B. Tunçsiper & F. Sayın (Eds.), Critical Debates in Social Sciences. London: Frontpage Publications.
  • Unger, S., A. Tisch and S. Tophoven (2018). Age and Gender Differences in the Impact of Labour-Market Transitions on Subjective Health in Germany. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health 46(19), 49-64.
  • Uysal, S. D. and W. Pohlmeier (2011). Unemployment Duration and Personality. Journal of Economic Psychology 32(6), 980-992.
  • Vaillant, G. E. (2008). Aging Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the Landmark Study of Adult Development: Hachette UK.
  • Van der Meer, P. H. (2014). Gender, Unemployment and Subjective Well-Being: Why Being Unemployed Is Worse for Men Than for Women. Social Indicators Research 115(1), 23-44. Viinikainen, J. and K. Kokko (2012). Personality Traits and Unemployment: Evidence from Longitudinal Data. Journal of Economic Psychology 33(6), 1204-1222.
  • Von Scheve, C., F. Esche and J. Schupp (2017). The Emotional Timeline of Unemployment: Anticipation, Reaction, and Adaptation. Journal of Happiness Studies, 18(4), 1231-1254.
  • WHO. (2010). Health Impact of Psychosocial Hazards at Work: An Overview (9241500271). Retrieved from Geneva:
  • Winkelmann, L. and R. Winkelmann (1998). Why Are the Unemployed So Unhappy? Evidence from Panel Data. Economica, 65(257), 1-15.
  • Winkelmann, R. (2014). Unemployment and Happiness. IZA World of Labor, 94, 1-10.
  • Zeytinoglu, I. U., M. Denton, S. Davies, A. Baumann, J. Blythe and L. Boos (2007). Deteriorated External Work Environment, Heavy Workload and Nurses' Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intention. Canadian Public Policy, 33(S1), 31-47.
Year 2022, Volume: 14 Issue: 4, 124 - 141, 15.04.2023
https://doi.org/10.33818/ier.1201608

Abstract

References

  • Acemoglu, D. and R. Shimer (2000). Productivity Gains from Unemployment Insurance. European Economic Review 44(7), 1195-1224.
  • Alan, S., G. Corekcioglu and M. Sutter (2022). Improving Workplace Climate in Large Corporations: A Clustered Randomized Intervention. MPI Collective Goods Discussion Paper(2021/17).
  • Axelrad, H., A. Sherman and I. Luski (2020). The Effect of Employment on the Subjective Well-Being of 60–80 Years Old People. International Journal of Social Economics, 47(12), 1481-1497.
  • Aysan, M.F. and U. Aysan (2017). The Effect of Employment Status on Life Satisfaction in Europe Empirical Studies on Economics of Innovation, Public Economics and Management (pp. 335-347): Springer.
  • Becchetti, L. and G.Conzo (2022). The Gender Life Satisfaction/Depression Paradox. Social Indicators Research 160(1), 35-113.
  • Blanchflower, D. G. (2021). Is Happiness U-Shaped Everywhere? Age and Subjective Well-Being in 145 Countries. Journal of Population Economics, 34(2), 575-624.
  • Böckerman, P. and P. Ilmakunnas (2006). Elusive Effects of Unemployment on Happiness. Social Indicators Research 79(1), 159-169.
  • Chung, H. Y. and Y. Hahn (2021). Work Transitions, Gender, and Subjective Well-Being. Applied Research in Quality of Life 16(5), 2085-2109.
  • Clark, A., Y. Georgellis. and P. Sanfey (2001). Scarring: The Psychological Impact of Past Unemployment. Economica, 68(270), 221-241.
  • Clark, A. and A. Oswald (1994). Unhappiness and Unemployment. Economic Journal, 104(424), 648-659.
  • Clark, A. E. (2003). Unemployment as a Social Norm: Psychological Evidence from Panel Data. Journal of Labor Economics 21(2), 323-351.
  • Clark, A. E. and Y. Georgellis (2013). Back to Baseline in Britain: Adaptation in the British Household Panel Survey. Economica, 80(319), 496-512.
  • Cummins, R. A. (2000). Objective and Subjective Quality of Life: An Interactive Model. Social indicators Research 52(1), 55-72. De Jonge, J., H. Bosma, R. Peter and J. Siegrist (2000). Job Strain, Effort-Reward Imbalance and Employee Well-Being: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Study. Social Science & Medicine 50(9), 1317-1327.
  • Diener, E., R.E. Lucas and C. N. Scollon (2009). Beyond the Hedonic Treadmill: Revising the Adaptation Theory of Well-Being The Science of Well-Being (pp. 103-118): Springer.
  • Dietz, M. and U. Walwei (2011). Germany—No Country for Old Workers? Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung, 44(4), 363-376.
  • Duraisingam, V., K. Pidd and A. M. Roche (2009). The Impact of Work Stress and Job Satisfaction on Turnover Intentions: A Study of Australian Specialist Alcohol and Other Drug Workers. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy 16(3), 217-231.
  • Eger, R. J. and J. H. Maridal (2015). A Statistical Meta-Analysis of the Wellbeing Literature, International Journal of Wellbeing, 5(2), 47-74.
  • Ensminger, M. E. and D. D. Celentano (1990). Gender Differences in the Effect of Unemployment on Psychological Distress. Social Science & Medicine, 30(4), 469-477.
  • Erdil, O. and Ö. G. Ertosun (2011). The Relationship between Social Climate and Loneliness in the Workplace and Effects on Employee Well-Being. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 24, 505-525.
  • Fortin, N. M. (2005). Gender Role Attitudes and the Labour-Market Outcomes of Women across Oecd Countries. Oxford Review of Economic Policy 21(3), 416-438.
  • Gallo, W. T., E. H. Bradley, M. Siegel and S. V. Kasl (2000). Health Effects of Involuntary Job Loss among Older Workers: Findings from the Health and Retirement Survey. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 55(3), S131-S140.
  • Gedikli, C., M. Miraglia, S. Connolly, M. Bryan and D. Watson (2022). The Relationship between Unemployment and Wellbeing: An Updated Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Evidence. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 1-17.
  • Harvey, S. B., M. Modini, S. Joyce, J. S. Milligan-Saville, L. Tan , A. Mykletun, . . . P.B. Mitchell, (2017). Can Work Make You Mentally Ill? A Systematic Meta-Review of Work-Related Risk Factors for Common Mental Health Problems. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 74(4), 301-310.
  • Jahoda, M., P. Lazarsfeld and H. Zeisel (1933). Marienthal: The Sociography of an Unemployed Community (English Translation, 1971). London: Tavistock Publications.
  • Kandiyoti, D. (1997). Cariyeler, Bacılar, Yoldaşlar: Kimlikler Ve Toplumsal Dönüşümler Çev(A. Bora, F. Sayılan, Ş. Tekeli, H. Tapınç Ve F. Özbay). İstanbul: Metis.
  • Kanlıoğlu, M. B. and D. Dumludağ, D. (2022). The Relationship between Unemployment, Employment Expectations and Happiness in Turkey for the Years: 2003-2018. Journal of Research in Economics, 6(1), 1-19.
  • Knabe, A. and S. Rätzel. (2010). Better an Insecure Job Than No Job at All? Unemployment, Job Insecurity and Subjective Wellbeing. Economics Bulletin, 30(3), 2486-2494.
  • Kuzu, S., S. Elmas-Atay and M. Gerçek (2019). The Analysis of Unemployment, Happiness and Demographic Factors Using Log-Linear Models. International Journal of Economics and Business Research, 17(1), 87-105.
  • Layard, R. (2005). Happiness: Lessons from a New Science. London: Allan Lane.
  • Leana, C. R. and D. C. Feldman (1991). Gender Differences in Responses to Unemployment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 38(1), 65-77.
  • Lucas, R. E., A. E Clark, Y. Georgellis and E. Diener (2004). Unemployment Alters the Set Point for Life Satisfaction. Psychological Science 15(1), 8-13.
  • OECD. (2022). Work-Life Balance. Retrieved from Paris:
  • Shaw, J. D. (1999). Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intentions: The Moderating Role of Positive Affect. The Journal of Social Psychology, 139(2), 242-244.
  • Sherman, A. and T. Shavit (2018). The Thrill of Creative Effort at Work: An Empirical Study on Work, Creative Effort and Well-Being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 19(7), 2049-2069.
  • Stutzer, A. and R. Lalive (2004). The Role of Social Work Norms in Job Searching and Subjective Well-Being. Journal of the European Economic Association, 2(4), 696-719.
  • Susanlı, Z. B. (2018). Life Satisfaction and Unemployment in Turkey: Evidence from Life Satisfaction Surveys 2004–2013. Quality & Quantity, 52(1), 479-499.
  • TÜİK. (2022). İşgücü İstatistikleri (2014 Ve Sonrası). Retrieved from Ankara:
  • Ugur, Z. B. (2018). Life-Work Imbalance and Its Effects on Well-Being of Employees in Turkey. In B. Tunçsiper & F. Sayın (Eds.), Critical Debates in Social Sciences. London: Frontpage Publications.
  • Unger, S., A. Tisch and S. Tophoven (2018). Age and Gender Differences in the Impact of Labour-Market Transitions on Subjective Health in Germany. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health 46(19), 49-64.
  • Uysal, S. D. and W. Pohlmeier (2011). Unemployment Duration and Personality. Journal of Economic Psychology 32(6), 980-992.
  • Vaillant, G. E. (2008). Aging Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the Landmark Study of Adult Development: Hachette UK.
  • Van der Meer, P. H. (2014). Gender, Unemployment and Subjective Well-Being: Why Being Unemployed Is Worse for Men Than for Women. Social Indicators Research 115(1), 23-44. Viinikainen, J. and K. Kokko (2012). Personality Traits and Unemployment: Evidence from Longitudinal Data. Journal of Economic Psychology 33(6), 1204-1222.
  • Von Scheve, C., F. Esche and J. Schupp (2017). The Emotional Timeline of Unemployment: Anticipation, Reaction, and Adaptation. Journal of Happiness Studies, 18(4), 1231-1254.
  • WHO. (2010). Health Impact of Psychosocial Hazards at Work: An Overview (9241500271). Retrieved from Geneva:
  • Winkelmann, L. and R. Winkelmann (1998). Why Are the Unemployed So Unhappy? Evidence from Panel Data. Economica, 65(257), 1-15.
  • Winkelmann, R. (2014). Unemployment and Happiness. IZA World of Labor, 94, 1-10.
  • Zeytinoglu, I. U., M. Denton, S. Davies, A. Baumann, J. Blythe and L. Boos (2007). Deteriorated External Work Environment, Heavy Workload and Nurses' Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intention. Canadian Public Policy, 33(S1), 31-47.
There are 47 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Economics
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Zeynep Ugur

Publication Date April 15, 2023
Submission Date November 9, 2022
Published in Issue Year 2022 Volume: 14 Issue: 4

Cite

APA Ugur, Z. (2023). Wellbeing Consequences of Unemployment and Working with a Job Dissatisfaction in Turkey. International Econometric Review, 14(4), 124-141. https://doi.org/10.33818/ier.1201608
AMA Ugur Z. Wellbeing Consequences of Unemployment and Working with a Job Dissatisfaction in Turkey. IER. April 2023;14(4):124-141. doi:10.33818/ier.1201608
Chicago Ugur, Zeynep. “Wellbeing Consequences of Unemployment and Working With a Job Dissatisfaction in Turkey”. International Econometric Review 14, no. 4 (April 2023): 124-41. https://doi.org/10.33818/ier.1201608.
EndNote Ugur Z (April 1, 2023) Wellbeing Consequences of Unemployment and Working with a Job Dissatisfaction in Turkey. International Econometric Review 14 4 124–141.
IEEE Z. Ugur, “Wellbeing Consequences of Unemployment and Working with a Job Dissatisfaction in Turkey”, IER, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 124–141, 2023, doi: 10.33818/ier.1201608.
ISNAD Ugur, Zeynep. “Wellbeing Consequences of Unemployment and Working With a Job Dissatisfaction in Turkey”. International Econometric Review 14/4 (April 2023), 124-141. https://doi.org/10.33818/ier.1201608.
JAMA Ugur Z. Wellbeing Consequences of Unemployment and Working with a Job Dissatisfaction in Turkey. IER. 2023;14:124–141.
MLA Ugur, Zeynep. “Wellbeing Consequences of Unemployment and Working With a Job Dissatisfaction in Turkey”. International Econometric Review, vol. 14, no. 4, 2023, pp. 124-41, doi:10.33818/ier.1201608.
Vancouver Ugur Z. Wellbeing Consequences of Unemployment and Working with a Job Dissatisfaction in Turkey. IER. 2023;14(4):124-41.