Heterogeneous Returns to Personality - The Role of Occupational Choice

Katrin John and Stephan Thomsen

Hannover Economic Papers (HEP) from Leibniz Universität Hannover, Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät

Abstract: We analyze the role of personality in occupational choice and wages using data from Germany for the years 1992 to 2009. Characterizing personality by use of seven complementary measures, the empirical findings show that it is an important determinant of occupational choice. Associated with that, identical personality traits are differently rewarded across occupations. By evaluating different personality profiles, we estimate the influence of personality as a whole. The estimates establish occupation-specific patterns of significant returns to particular personality profiles. These findings underline the importance to consider the occupational distribution when analyzing returns to personality due to its heterogeneous valuation.

Keywords: occupational choice; wage differentials; Big Five personality traits; locus of control; measures of reciprocity; SOEP (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C35 J24 J31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 40 pages
Date: 2012-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lab and nep-lma
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Heterogeneous returns to personality: the role of occupational choice (2014)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:han:dpaper:dp-495

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