Indicators of quality of work as predictors of quality of life

The paper aims to analyze the extent to which the indicators of the quality of work can be seen as good predictors of the quality of life. To describe the various aspects of the quality of work and employment, data on answers to 12 questions covering 7 dimensions of quality of work were extracted from the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) database available on Eurofound website. Four wellknown composite indicators were considered for the assessment of the quality of life: Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Quality of Life Index, Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), OECD Life Satisfaction indicator and Human Development Index (HDI). A series of multiple linear regressions were run in order to select the most relevant predictors of quality of life indicators. Results show that the percentage of those who are 'very satisfied or satisfied with working conditions in their main paid job' is the main predictor both of EIU Quality of Life Index (R square = 0.429), of HDI 2005 (R square = 0.619) and of SWLS (R square = 0.61). Percentage of those who agree that their 'job offers them good prospects for career advancement' explains 68.4 percent of the total variance in OECD Life Satisfaction indicator, while together with 'working hours - family/ social commitments outside work fit' and proportion of those 'usually working less than 30 hours per week in their main paid job' account for 79.5 percent of the total variance in the predicted variable. HDI 2010 values are the best predicted by the percentage of those who 'agree that they might lose their job in the next 6 months' (R square = 0.624).