Job penibility: measurements and policy discussions

Details

Supervisors

Hindriks, Jean

Faculty

Faculté des sciences économiques, sociales, politiques et de communication

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences économiques, orientation générale

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to discuss the possible recognition of the job penibility in the pension system. This discussion can be investigated in several ways and we have chosen to concentrate on the objectivation of the job penibility. This master thesis is, therefore, a paper that searches for coefficients of job impact on health. We investigate health with two kinds of dependent variables, a subjective one (self-rated health) with the data of the "European Working Conditions Survey, 2015" and an objective one (life expectancy) with the data of the "US National Longitudinal Mortality Study, 80s-90s". This second database contains 1 835 072 observations and 364 possible occupations. We find significant job effects on self-rated health and significant difference of life expectancy across professions (e.g., 57,18 years of life expectancy at 25 for lawyers (men) and only 48,73 years for "food and beverage serving workers" (men)). We continue by discussing, from a philosophical and economic point of view, whether we should compensate, how and who must finance it.