Wellbeing – wie Lebensqualität, Arbeit und Einkommen zusammenhängen
Das Streben nach Glück ist ein zentrales Element im Leben, wobei das individuelle Wohlbefinden sowohl persönliche als auch gesellschaftliche Ursachen hat. Welchen Einfluss haben Wirtschaftsentwicklung, Einkommen, der berufliche Werdegang oder Arbeitslosigkeitserfahrungen auf die subjektive Lebensqualität eines Menschen?
Dieses Themendossier bietet hierzu aktuelle Literatur und Projekthinweise.
Im Filter „Autorenschaft“ können Sie auf IAB-(Mit-)Autorenschaft eingrenzen.
-
Literaturhinweis
Income–Well‐Being Gradient in Sickness and Health (2026)
Zitatform
Kanninen, Ohto, Petri Böckerman & Ilpo Suoniemi (2026): Income–Well‐Being Gradient in Sickness and Health. In: Health Economics, Jg. 35, H. 3, S. 409-422. DOI:10.1002/hec.70063
Abstract
"We propose a method for studying the value of insurance. For this purpose, we analyze the well-being of the same individuals, comparing sick and healthy years, using German panel survey data on life satisfaction. We impose structure on the income–well-being gradient by fitting a flexible utility function to the data, focusing on the differences in marginal utility in the sick and the healthy states. Notably, our empirical specification allows for a “fixed cost of sickness.” We find a higher marginal utility of income in the sick state. We use our estimates to gauge the value of sickness insurance for Baily-Chetty–type optimal policy calculations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Differential Life Satisfaction in a German Representative Sample (2025)
Zitatform
Arnold, Christopher & Beate Muschalla (2025): Differential Life Satisfaction in a German Representative Sample. In: International journal of environmental research and public health, Jg. 22, H. 1. DOI:10.3390/ijerph22010105
Abstract
"Life satisfaction includes various aspects, such as satisfaction with work, family, environment, and finances, and is influenced by sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors. This representative study investigates differential life satisfaction in the general population and its associations with sociodemographics. The study used a cross-sectional design with 2522 German participants, collected via face-to-face interviews and three-stage random sampling, assessing satisfaction across 17 life areas with the Differential Life Burden Scale. Overall life satisfaction was high (M = 4.46, scale from 1 to 6). Although globally satisfied, most participants (84.2%) named at least one negative area of life. Politics and environment were perceived as dissatisfying (M = 3.1; M = 3.81, respectively); social contacts and leisure time were evaluated as rather satisfying (M about 5.00). Age, income, and unemployment were associated with life satisfaction. Gender and age were differently associated with life domains: Older people were less satisfied with their health. Younger people were more satisfied with leisure time. Younger were less satisfied with their children than older participants. The German population is generally satisfied with life, though factors like age, unemployment, and income influence the number of negatively perceived life domains. This highlights the importance of evaluating specific life areas in addition to overall life satisfaction for a more comprehensive understanding." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Detach to Thrive: Psychological Detachment from Work and Employee Well-Being (2025)
Zitatform
Baktash, Mehrzad B. & Lisa Pütz (2025): Detach to Thrive: Psychological Detachment from Work and Employee Well-Being. In: Journal of happiness studies, Jg. 26, H. 4. DOI:10.1007/s10902-025-00883-7
Abstract
"Psychological detachment from work implies mentally disconnecting from work during off-job time. Using representative longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, we identify psychological detachment from work as a key driver of employee well-being. This finding holds for a broad set of well-being indicators, including emotional responses, job satisfaction, life domain satisfactions, and global life satisfaction. Importantly, heterogeneity analyses reveal that detachment affects different subgroups of employees to a similar extent, indicating that the impact of detachment on employee well-being is universal. We further find that detachment mattered for employee well-being before as well as during the Covid-19 pandemic. Overall, organizations and policy makers could foster psychological detachment to increase employee well-being. Given that employees nowadays search for happiness at work, ensuring psychological detachment becomes also relevant in the war for talent." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Performance Pay and Happiness: Work vs. Home? (2025)
Zitatform
Baktash, Mehrzad B., John S. Heywood & Uwe Jirjahn (2025): Performance Pay and Happiness: Work vs. Home? (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 18181), Bonn, 42 S.
Abstract
"Using German survey data, we show conflicting influences of performance pay on overall life satisfaction. The overall influence reflects a strong positive influence through domains of life satisfaction associated with the job (job satisfaction, individual earnings satisfaction and household earning satisfaction) and a strong negative influence through domains away from the job (health satisfaction, sleep satisfaction and family life satisfaction). This trade-off between work and home generalizes and helps explain many previous studies examining much more specific consequences of performance pay. Finally, controlling for the mediating role of the domains, the direct influence on life satisfaction is positive for women and insignificantly different from zero for men." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Trade Unions and Life Satisfaction in Germany (2025)
Zitatform
Becker, Björn, Laszlo Goerke & Yue Huang (2025): Trade Unions and Life Satisfaction in Germany. In: BJIR, Jg. 63, H. 3, S. 462-477. DOI:10.1111/bjir.12861
Abstract
"The effects of trade union membership on wages and job satisfaction have been studied extensively. Arguably, life satisfaction serves as a more comprehensive measure of the benefits of union membership and warrants closer examination. Using all relevant waves from the German Socio-Economic Panel between 1985 and 2019, we find a negative correlation between trade union membership and life satisfaction in OLS and FE specifications. The association may arise because union members are more concerned about their job and the economic situation and less satisfied with their work. Social capital and wages also perform as channels between membership and life satisfaction. The negative correlation is more pronounced in settings in which trade unions are relatively weak." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Testing the Psychological Costs of Intergenerational Social Mobility: Evidence from a German Panel Study (2025)
Zitatform
Becker, Michael, Lilly-Marlen Bihler, Martin Neugebauer & Jenny Wagner (2025): Testing the Psychological Costs of Intergenerational Social Mobility: Evidence from a German Panel Study. In: Social Science & Medicine, Jg. 384. DOI:10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118522
Abstract
"This study investigates the psychological costs of intergenerational social mobility, focusing on both upward and downward mobility. While prior research has often overlooked the role of selection effects, we explicitly disentangle whether disparities in mental health and well-being are attributable to the experience of social mobility itself or to pre-existing individual differences. Using data from a German panel study that follows individuals from late adolescence (age 18) into work-life (age 30), we assess psychological adjustment for different forms of social mobility based on individuals’ own educational attainment relative to theirparents’. We apply entropy balancing to compare models with and without adjustment for selection effects. Initial results, unadjusted for selection, show that downward mobility is linked to poorer mental health and well-being, supporting the “falling-from-grace” hypothesis. In contrast, upward mobility shows no significant association with mental health outcomes, aligning with the “acculturation” hypothesis. Crucially, when accounting for selection, the apparent disadvantages of downward mobility disappear. Our findings suggest that psychological costs attributed to social mobility are primarily the result of pre-existing vulnerabilities rather than mobility itself, emphasizing the importance of considering selection processes in research on social mobility and health." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
I can't forget about U: lifetime unemployment and retirement wellbeing (2025)
Zitatform
Clark, Andrew E. & Anthony Lepinteur (2025): I can't forget about U: lifetime unemployment and retirement wellbeing. In: Economica, Jg. 92, H. 368, S. 1083-1100. DOI:10.1111/ecca.70007
Abstract
"It is well known that unemployment leaves scars after re-employment, but does this scarring effect persist even after retirement? We analysz European data on retirees from the SHARE panel, and show that the wellbeing of the retired continues to reflect the unemployment that they experienced over their working life. These scarring effects are somewhat smaller for older retirees, but larger for those who arguably had higher expectations regarding the labour market when they were active. The lower wellbeing from lifetime unemployment does not reflect lower retirement income. This long-run scarring for those who have left the labor market underlines that contemporaneous correlations significantly underestimate the wellbeing cost of unemployment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Einsamkeit in Deutschland: die gefährdetste Gruppe sind Menschen mit niedrigem Einkommen (2025)
Entringer, Theresa; Stacherl, Barbara; Kumrow, Linda;Zitatform
Entringer, Theresa, Linda Kumrow & Barbara Stacherl (2025): Einsamkeit in Deutschland: die gefährdetste Gruppe sind Menschen mit niedrigem Einkommen. In: DIW-Wochenbericht, Jg. 92, H. 5, S. 59-67. DOI:10.18723/diw_wb:2025-5-1
Abstract
"Einsamkeit stellt ein ernstzunehmendes Gesundheitsrisiko dar. Sie beeinträchtigt die Lebensqualität und kann sogar die Lebensdauer verkürzen. Diese Studie untersucht Einsamkeit in Deutschland basierend auf den aktuellen Daten des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (SOEP) zur Einsamkeit aus dem Jahr 2021. Die Analysen beleuchten die Verbreitung verschiedener Facetten von Einsamkeit (Alleinsein, Isolation, Ausgeschlossenheit) sowie regionale Unterschiede und besonders betroffene Personengruppen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich 19 Prozent der in Deutschland lebenden Menschen manchmal oder häufiger einsam fühlen. Vor der Pandemie waren es lediglich 14 Prozent. Regionale Unterschiede existieren ohne das Ost-West-Muster, das in früheren Studien zu erkennen war: Im Westen und Süden Deutschlands kommt jetzt das Gefühl, Gesellschaft zu vermissen, häufiger vor als im Osten. Besonders einsam sind Menschen mit einem Einkommen, das unterhalb des Medians liegt, vor allem wenn sie dazu männlich sind und einen Migrationshintergrund haben. Aufklärungskampagnen und Maßnahmen, die zur Prävention von Einsamkeit angesichts der Gesundheitsrisiken erforderlich sind, sollten diese Befunde berücksichtigen und zielgerichtet erfolgen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
Weiterführende Informationen
Englische Version -
Literaturhinweis
Poor psychosocial work environment: a ticket to retirement? Variations by gender and education (2025)
Eyjólfsdóttir, Harpa S. ; Herlofson, Katharina ; Pedersen, Axel West ; Veenstra, Marijke ; Lennartsson, Carin ; Hellevik, Tale ;Zitatform
Eyjólfsdóttir, Harpa S., Tale Hellevik, Katharina Herlofson, Axel West Pedersen, Carin Lennartsson & Marijke Veenstra (2025): Poor psychosocial work environment: a ticket to retirement? Variations by gender and education. In: European Journal of Ageing, Jg. 22. DOI:10.1007/s10433-025-00855-z
Abstract
"Many countries, including Norway, are implementing policies to delay retirement and encourage older workers to remain in the labour market. Improving psychosocial working conditions may motivate older workers to continue working. While research has linked psychosocial working characteristics to retirement intentions and work exit, there is a knowledge gap regarding gender and socioeconomic differences in these influences. This study investigates the impact of psychosocial working characteristics on employment exit among older workers, examining variations by gender and educational attainment. Data were drawn from the Norwegian Life Course, Ageing, and Generation study (NorLAG) collected in 2007 and 2017 (N = 2,065) linked to income register data for four subsequent years. Time-to-event analyses revealed that poorer psychosocial working environment increased the likelihood of employment exit. For women, low autonomy was significant, while for men significant associations were found for high job stress, low job variety, lack of appreciation, limited learning opportunities, accumulation of poor job resources, and job strain. Interaction analysis showed only significant gender differences for few learning opportunities and poor job resources. Separate analyses stratified by educational attainment showed no significant association for those with compulsory education, while those with higher levels of education were more likely to retire if faced with low job variety, low autonomy, and poor job resources–yet interaction analysis showed no significant differences. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at delaying retirement should consider gender and socioeconomic differences, providing older workers with more control over their tasks and equitable access to learning opportunities and resources." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
A longitudinal path analysis of the reciprocal and cyclical relationships between sickness absence, job demands, job resources, and burnout (2025)
Gottenborg, Simon; Johnsen, Svein Åge Kjøs; Hoff, Thomas; Øvergård, Kjell Ivar; Rydstedt, Leif;Zitatform
Gottenborg, Simon, Thomas Hoff, Svein Åge Kjøs Johnsen, Leif Rydstedt & Kjell Ivar Øvergård (2025): A longitudinal path analysis of the reciprocal and cyclical relationships between sickness absence, job demands, job resources, and burnout. In: Frontiers in psychology, Jg. 16. DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1557898
Abstract
"Aim: This study investigates the longitudinal reciprocal cyclical impact of sickness absence on perceived job demands and job resources, as well as its indirect effects on future burnout and further sickness absence. Design and methods: A four-wave longitudinal survey design was employed, with sickness absence data collected at Time 1 and Time 3 and questionnaires assessing psychosocial work environment factors administered at Time 2 and Time 4. Sample: A total of 272 employees from several Norwegian organizations participated in the study. Results: The results provided evidence of a reciprocal longitudinal negative path coefficient between sickness and perceived job resources, while the path coefficient related to job demands was small and non-significant. Additionally, a cyclical reciprocal effect was identified, following the pathway: sickness absence -> job resources -> burnout -> sickness absence, thereby supporting the JD-R model’s predictive capability regarding sickness absenteeism. This implies that sickness absence may lead to a perceived loss of job resources, which subsequently exacerbates burnout and results in further sickness absence over time. Contribution: This study contributes to psychological theory by enhancing the understanding of the longitudinal and reciprocal effects of sickness absence on perceived job characteristics. It also expands the longitudinal evidence base demonstrating burnout’s predictive effect on sickness absence." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Performance Management in deutschen Betrieben: Leistungsorientierung lohnt sich - aber nur mit kollektiven Zielen (2025)
Zitatform
Grunau, Philipp, Patrick Kampkötter & Kevin Ruf (2025): Performance Management in deutschen Betrieben: Leistungsorientierung lohnt sich - aber nur mit kollektiven Zielen. (IAB-Kurzbericht 11/2025), Nürnberg, 8 S. DOI:10.48720/IAB.KB.2511
Abstract
"Unternehmen sind mit ständigem Wandel und wachsendem Wettbewerbsdruck konfrontiert, was auch das Personalmanagement betrifft. Außerdem verändert sich der Arbeitsalltag für viele Beschäftigte, sodass die Instrumente des Performance Managements, insbesondere die traditionellen Leistungsbeurteilungs- und Vergütungspraktiken, zunehmend auf dem Prüfstand stehen. Entscheidend für Betriebe und Beschäftigte ist dabei unter anderem, ob und inwieweit diese Praktiken die wahrgenommene Arbeitsqualität beeinflussen. Die Autoren untersuchen in diesem Bericht Trends und Entwicklungen für die Jahre 2012 bis 2023 auf Basis des Linked Personnel Panels (LPP)." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
Weiterführende Informationen
- Zusammenhang zwischen Instrumenten des betrieblichen Performance Managements und der wahrgenommenen Arbeitsqualität
- Vergütungsmix für Führungskräfte und Beschäftigte ohne Führungsverantwortung mit erfolgsabhängiger Vergütung
- Instrumente des betrieblichen Performance Managements
- Instrumente des betrieblichen Performance Managements im Zeitverlauf
-
Literaturhinweis
Socialism, identity and the well-being of unemployed women (2025)
Zitatform
Günther, Tom, Jakob Conradi & Clemens Hetschko (2025): Socialism, identity and the well-being of unemployed women. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 95. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2025.102752
Abstract
"Unemployment influences people’s life satisfaction beyond negative income shocks. A large body of literature investigates these non-pecuniary costs of unemployment and stresses the importance of social norms, especially for men. We add to this literature by showing that norm non-compliance may equally inflate the non-pecuniary loss of well-being for unemployed women. Using German panel data, we use the German division as a natural experiment to compare unemployment-related life satisfaction losses between different cohorts of East and West German women. We hypothesise that being exposed to different legal norms concerning workforce participation and different opportunity cost of working after the division shaped social identities and thus social norms around work for the two German female populations in different ways. East German women were required to work whereas West German women were expected to focus on family care. We find that East German women suffer significantly more from unemployment than West German women. This difference is driven entirely by East German females who were exclusively raised in the former GDR. We do not find such diverging patterns for German men. Our findings imply that women suffer as much as men from unemployment if socialised in the same way." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 Published by Elsevier B.V.) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
The reciprocal within‐person relationship between job insecurity and life satisfaction: Testing loss and gain spirals with two large‐scale longitudinal studies (2025)
Zitatform
Jiang, Lixin, Xiaohong Xu, Elena Zubielevitch & Chris G. Sibley (2025): The reciprocal within‐person relationship between job insecurity and life satisfaction: Testing loss and gain spirals with two large‐scale longitudinal studies. In: International review of applied psychology, Jg. 74, H. 1. DOI:10.1111/apps.12599
Abstract
"Deriving from the loss and gain spirals of conservation of resources (COR) theory, this research attempts to understand the within-person, reciprocal relationship between job insecurity and life satisfaction. Using three independent samples from seven-wave, five-wave, and 21-wave annually collected data from New Zealand and Australia, and random intercept cross-lagged panel models, we find that (1) job insecurity has a negative concurrent relationship with life satisfaction at the between-person level; (2) job insecurity at an earlier time point has a negative relationship with life satisfaction and a positive relationship with job insecurity at a later time point, indicating that individuals facing an initial threat of resource losses are more prone to further resource depletion, supporting “loss spirals” in COR theory; and (3) life satisfaction at an earlier time point has a positive relationship with life satisfaction at a later time point, supporting “gain spiral” in COR theory. However, life satisfaction is not longitudinally related to job insecurity at a later time point, failing to support the reverse causality. By rigorously investigating the reciprocal within-person relationship between job insecurity and life satisfaction with two large-scale panel data sets, these findings strongly support the loss and gain spirals from COR theory." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Upgrading jobs for all: How welfare states shape differences in life satisfaction between the winners and losers of structural change (2025)
Zitatform
Küstermann, Leon (2025): Upgrading jobs for all: How welfare states shape differences in life satisfaction between the winners and losers of structural change. In: Socio-economic review, Jg. 23, H. 4, S. 1895-1921. DOI:10.1093/ser/mwaf029
Abstract
"Structural economic change transforms occupational structures in a way that has benefited college-educated knowledge economy workers while creating risks for workers in routine and interpersonal service jobs. However, looking beyond economic outcomes, it is striking that differences in life satisfaction between these occupational groups in some European countries are much smaller than in others. To explain this pattern, I analyze data from the European Social Survey and the European Working Conditions Survey for twenty-five countries. I show that these life satisfaction differences are smaller in countries where jobs in “losing” occupations are designed similarly to jobs in “winning” occupations. Further, I demonstrate that both social investment and social protection reduce this life satisfaction gap by equalizing job satisfaction and job design between occupational groups. Hence, my results support the argument that welfare states achieve inclusive outcomes in the context of structural economic change through their interactions with workplaces." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Examining interindividual differences in unemployment-related changes in subjective well-being: The role of psychological well-being and re-employment expectations (2025)
Zitatform
Lawes, Mario, Clemens Hetschko, Ronnie Schöb, Gesine Stephan & Michael Eid (2025): Examining interindividual differences in unemployment-related changes in subjective well-being: The role of psychological well-being and re-employment expectations. In: European Journal of Personality, Jg. 39, H. 1, S. 24-45., 2024-01-21. DOI:10.1177/08902070241231315
Abstract
"This study examined whether the six trait-like dimensions of psychological well-being (e.g., autonomy and environmental mastery) moderate the effects of unemployment on various facets of subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, satisfaction with life domains, and experienced mood). Further, re-employment expectations during unemployment were investigated as a moderator in this context. The study is based on monthly panel data (Nobservations > 23,000) of two samples of initially employed German jobseekers, who either registered as jobseekers due to (i) mass layoffs or plant closures (N = 552) or (ii) other reasons (N = 988). The results indicate substantial interindividual differences in unemployment-related changes across all examined subjective well-being facets. However, dimensions of psychological well-being did generally not moderate these changes. Only in one unemployment context, environmental mastery was positively related to unemployment-related mood changes. Good re-employment expectations were related to increases in several well-being facets (e.g., leisure satisfaction) compared to being employed, whereas poor re-employment expectations were associated with particularly detrimental effects of unemployment in terms of life satisfaction. Overall, the study provides further evidence that (perceived) contextual features of unemployment seem to be particularly relevant for how individuals experience unemployment, whereas internal (coping) resources only seem to play a negligible role." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
How Perceived Job Insecurity, Voluntary Unemployment and Involuntary Job Loss Shape Couples’ Life Satisfaction (2025)
Zitatform
Lebert, Florence, Oliver Lipps & Alessandro Di Nallo (2025): How Perceived Job Insecurity, Voluntary Unemployment and Involuntary Job Loss Shape Couples’ Life Satisfaction. In: Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Jg. 46, H. 4, S. 985-1001. DOI:10.1007/s10834-025-10062-8
Abstract
"To adequately examine the impact of job insecurity and unemployment on life satisfaction in the context of increasing de-standardisation of work arrangements, this study distinguishes nuanced forms of perceived job insecurity and unemployment and integrates them into a single scale for employment instability. These forms comprise (1) no perceived job insecurity, (2) some or (3) severe job insecurity, (4) voluntary unemployment, (5) involuntary unemployment, and (6) other reasons for unemployment. Using dyadic data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) for working-age individuals and their partners, both perceived job insecurity and unemployment lead to decreased life satisfaction, with unemployment having a more pronounced impact on life satisfaction. Involuntary reasons for unemployment are more detrimental to life satisfaction than voluntary reasons. Overall, men suffer more from employment instability than women and their employment instability has a stronger impact on their female spouses’ life satisfaction than vice versa. The results are interpreted through the lens of ‘doing gender’ and ‘gender deviation’ theory." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
“I'm Not Worthless, I Do Help Society”: Exploring the Lived Experience of Community Placement in Activation Schemes (2025)
Zitatform
Petautschnig, Carla & Virpi Timonen (2025): “I'm Not Worthless, I Do Help Society”: Exploring the Lived Experience of Community Placement in Activation Schemes. In: Social Policy and Society, Jg. 24, H. 4, S. 601-615. DOI:10.1017/S1474746423000490
Abstract
"Activation schemes are widely criticised, with the negative experiences of ‘the activated’ featuring prominently in the literature. This article presents the findings of a constructivist grounded theory study concerning the lived experience of long-term unemployment, welfare recipiency and community placement in activation schemes in Ireland, with a focus on the positive effects that participating in such schemes had on participants’ subjective well-being. For the participants in this research, community placement signified change, respite, and recovery that improved their subjective well-being by creating an experience that counteracted the draining experience of long-term unemployment and welfare recipiency. This study brings new elements to the discussion on the role of activation in promoting/diminishing the subjective well-being of the long-term unemployed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Diverging Paths? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Subjective Well-Being of the Solo Self-Employed and Employees in Germany (2019–2023) (2025)
Zitatform
Peters, Eileen, Merle Pohlmeyer & Karin Schulze Buschoff (2025): Diverging Paths? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Subjective Well-Being of the Solo Self-Employed and Employees in Germany (2019–2023). In: Social indicators research, Jg. 180, H. 1, S. 183-204. DOI:10.1007/s11205-025-03640-8
Abstract
"Previous research indicates that the self-employed have higher subjective well-being (SWB) than employees. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many self-employed individuals experienced exceptionally high levels of economic stress due to limited government and social security support. This is especially true of the solo self-employed (i.e., self-employed without employees). Drawing on nationally representative panel data spanning the years 2019–2023—and thus the onset, peak, and fading out of the pandemic—we used fixed-effects regression models to analyze the SWB trajectories of the solo self-employed and employees in Germany in terms of life satisfaction and job satisfaction. Our results show that SWB was only moderately affected in 2020 but declined steeply in 2021. Although life satisfaction recovered moderately in 2022 and 2023, it remained substantially lower than pre-pandemic levels. The life satisfaction of the solo self-employed decreased more strongly than that of employees in 2020 and 2021. Job satisfaction also saw a steep decline in 2021, with solo self-employed individuals experiencing a greater drop than employees. However, the job satisfaction of the solo self-employed returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2022, whereas that of employees continued to decline in 2022 and 2023. These insights shed light on how the SWB of different employment groups was affected during this unprecedented crisis and provide valuable information for more effective interventions in future crises." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Is Job Satisfaction Related to Subjective Well-being? Causal Inference from Longitudinal Data (2025)
Zitatform
Prati, Gabriele (2025): Is Job Satisfaction Related to Subjective Well-being? Causal Inference from Longitudinal Data. In: Applied Research in Quality of Life, Jg. 20, H. 1, S. 133-160. DOI:10.1007/s11482-024-10400-2
Abstract
"Previous research has demonstrated a relationship between job satisfaction and subjective well-being, particularly life satisfaction, which aligns with the spillover theory. Moreover, according to the core self-evaluations theory, core self-evaluations are hypothesized to explain the relationship between job and subjective well-being and to have a causal role in job satisfaction and subjective well-being. The aim of the current study was (1) to test these predictions of self-evaluations theory and (2) to investigate the relationship between job satisfaction and subjective well-being. Data from two national, representative longitudinal studies (i.e., the GESIS Panel study and the Swiss Household Panel study) were used. The participants consisted of approximately 20,000 individuals from Switzerland (Swiss Household Panel study) and 5,000 individuals from Germany (GESIS Panel study). A separate series of random intercept cross-lagged panel models revealed that job satisfaction and subjective well-being (except for happiness) were not reciprocally related across all study waves. Moreover, the relationship between job satisfaction and subjective well-being appears to reflect a trait-like property. Finally, core self-evaluations did not account for any part of the relationship between job and subjective well-being, and there was limited evidence that core self-evaluations can predict later subjective well-being. These results provide mixed support for both spillover and segmentation theories, as well as for some predictions of self-evaluations theory." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
-
Literaturhinweis
Insbesondere Arbeitslose sind mit Partner*in zufriedener als ohne (2025)
Zitatform
Prechsl, Sebastian (2025): Insbesondere Arbeitslose sind mit Partner*in zufriedener als ohne. In: IAB-Forum – Grafik aktuell H. 24.06.2025 Nürnberg, 2025-06-19. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.GA.20250624.01
Abstract
"Die Zufriedenheit mit dem eigenen Leben ist bei Beschäftigten höher als bei Arbeitslosen. Hierbei zeigen sich allerdings Unterschiede in Abhängigkeit vom Partnerschaftsstatus. Bei Beschäftigten, aber insbesondere bei Arbeitslosen, die in einer Partnerschaft leben, fällt die Lebenszufriedenheit deutlich höher aus." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)