Download analysis note 130 – Job quality: a question of professions?
No configuration is ideal on all dimensions, which makes it difficult to estimate a proportion of “quality” jobs, but not all configurations are equal. The first two groups, which include executives and intermediate professions in the private and public sectors, present generally positive traits, even if certain weaknesses emerge, notably intensive and pressured work for executives. Three other groups offer lower job quality, with lower salaries, unfavorable professional trajectories and relative job insecurity. The latter combines with physical constraints for the group comprising industrial workers and with strong time constraints for the group composed mainly of low-skilled service professions, the group of low- or medium-skilled employees remaining relatively protected on these two aspects. The last group brings together professions in care, social action and security, with strong working hours constraints but relatively favorable salaries and career prospects.
Since salaries do not compensate for low job quality, improvements cannot come from the sole lever of salary policy. We must also act on the types of contracts, training and career prospects, working conditions, with priorities which vary according to the professions and are to be implemented at branch level. Because it is often synonymous with professional satisfaction and a greater capacity to work until retirement, job quality is a lever for job attractiveness and social progress. The challenge is twofold: improving the well-being of employees and ensuring the productive capacities of companies.

Synthetic indicators of job quality by dimension
By clicking on the different professions, you can make them appear, or disappear, on the graphs, allowing you to compare them with each other. as well as with the average indicators of their group and of all 87 job families. (Source: Calculations France Stratégie)
[1] Erhel C. and Moreau-Follenfant S. (2021), Report of the mission to support social partners in the process of recognizing second-line workers, December 19, 2021.
The opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors.
and are not intended to reflect the position of the government.