Do Workers Value Flexible Jobs? A Field Experiment

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Labor Economics
Year: 2021
Volume: 39
Issue: 3
Pages: 709 - 738

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We explore workers’ valuation of job flexibility using a field experiment conducted on a Chinese job board. Our experimental job ads differ randomly in offering jobs that are flexible regarding when (time flexibility) or where (place flexibility) one works and in offering different salaries. Application rates are higher for flexible jobs conditional on the salary offered, providing evidence that workers value job flexibility. Moreover, under some plausible conditions our evidence is informative about job seekers’ willingness to pay for flexible jobs of the types offered in the experiment and points to fairly high valuation of the most flexible jobs.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:jlabec:doi:10.1086/711226
Journal Field
Labor
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-26