Work Effort in the UK: Trends and Explanations

José Ignacio Gimenez-Nadal () and Almudena Sevilla ()
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José Ignacio Gimenez-Nadal: University of Zaragoza
Almudena Sevilla: London School of Economics
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Jose Ignacio Gimenez-Nadal ()

No 15329, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper links detailed 24-hour diary surveys in the United Kingdom (UK) over the last four decades to provide evidence on the increase in work effort in three specific dimensions: timing, nature, and composition. We rule out possible explanations behind 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- and demand-side explanations, such as changes in the relative preference for leisure, or the increase in offshoring, or competition for jobs, cannot explain our results. Our findings posit the amount and the frequency of on-the-job leisure as a measure of work effort, and the routine-biased technological change experienced during this period lies at the root of the increase in work effort in the UK.

Keywords: routine-biased technological change; work effort; time-use; labor supply (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D63 J22 J23 J24 J31 J62 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 51 pages
Date: 2022-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lma
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Published - published as 'Trends in effort at work in the UK' in: Oxford Economic Papers, 2024, 76 (3), 628–646,

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