Trends in effort at work in the UK

Gimenez-Nadal, Jose Ignacio (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Sevilla, Almudena

Resumen: This article links detailed 24-h diary surveys in the UK for the last four decades, to provide evidence of an increase in work effort in three specific dimensions: timing, nature, and composition. We rule out certain proposed explanations of these trends, finding that the decrease in the frequency of on-the-job leisure is more pronounced for workers in routine task-intensive occupations. Alternative supply-side and demand-side explanations, such as changes in relative preferences for leisure, or an increase in off-shoring, or competition for jobs, cannot explain our results. Our findings suggest that the amount and frequency of on-the-job leisure can be used as a measure of work effort, and that the routine-biased technological changes experienced during this period lie at the root of the increase in work effort in the UK.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1093/oep/gpad043

Año: 2024

Publicado en: Oxford Economic Papers 76, 3 (2024), 628-646
ISSN: 0030-7653

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/S32-20R
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN/PID2019-108348RA-I00

Tipo y forma: Article (PostPrint)

Área (Departamento): Área Fund. Análisis Económico (Dpto. Análisis Económico)