Personality as Predictor of Occupational Choice:Empirical Evidence from Germany

This paper investigates the influence of personality traits on occupational choice using data of theGerman Socio‐Economic Panel. We conduct multinomial logit analyses to differentiate malemanagers, professionals, technicians, clerks, service workers, and manual workers with respect totheir personality as measured by the Big Five. The data provide extensive information on thesocioeconomic background of individuals as well as characteristics of the workplace which areincluded as controls. The findings indicate that manual workers are less extraverted, moreconscientious as well as less agreeable and open than employees from most other occupationalgroups. Practical implications of the results are discussed.[...]