Source
Source Data source(s) used Data source(s) usedOECD calculations from European Working Conditions Surveys (EWCSs) and International Social Survey Programme (ISSP). Data for European countries refer to 4th EWCS for 2005, to 5th EWCS for 2010 data and to 6th EWCS for 2015. ISSP figures are rescaled according to EWCS figures.
Data Characteristics Data Characteristics Unit of measure used Unit of measure used Concepts & Classifications Concepts & Classifications Key statistical concept Key statistical conceptJob Resources
Other Aspects Other Aspects Recommended uses and limitations Recommended uses and limitationsThe Job Strain Index is obtained by combining two international surveys since there is no single data source that covers the OECD countries: the European Working Conditions Survey (for 2005, 2010 and 2015) and the Work Orientations modules of the International Social Survey Program (for 2005). Both surveys contain questions on the job demands and job resources discussed above; these questions differ in terms of question wording, answer scales and questions order. This may result in differences in individuals’ responses across countries. To overcome these problems, the OECD has conducted an extended analysis in order to assess the degree of comparability between the two surveys for the 169 common countries in 2005: it shows that choosing the most similar questions and applying certain thresholds yields a correlation coefficient of 0.89 between the job strain indices from the two surveys. The Job Quality Database thus presents the composite Job Strain Index (EWCS and rescaled ISSP indices), the proportion of workers who face time pressure, the proportion of workers who face physical health risk factors, the proportion of workers who enjoy work autonomy and learning opportunities, and the proportion of workers who get social support at work.
OECD calculations from European Working Conditions Surveys (EWCSs) and International Social Survey Programme (ISSP). Data for European countries refer to 4th EWCS for 2005, to 5th EWCS for 2010 data and to 6th EWCS for 2015. ISSP figures are rescaled according to EWCS figures.
Job Resources
The Job Strain Index is obtained by combining two international surveys since there is no single data source that covers the OECD countries: the European Working Conditions Survey (for 2005, 2010 and 2015) and the Work Orientations modules of the International Social Survey Program (for 2005). Both surveys contain questions on the job demands and job resources discussed above; these questions differ in terms of question wording, answer scales and questions order. This may result in differences in individuals’ responses across countries. To overcome these problems, the OECD has conducted an extended analysis in order to assess the degree of comparability between the two surveys for the 169 common countries in 2005: it shows that choosing the most similar questions and applying certain thresholds yields a correlation coefficient of 0.89 between the job strain indices from the two surveys. The Job Quality Database thus presents the composite Job Strain Index (EWCS and rescaled ISSP indices), the proportion of workers who face time pressure, the proportion of workers who face physical health risk factors, the proportion of workers who enjoy work autonomy and learning opportunities, and the proportion of workers who get social support at work.