Wage and Employer Changes Over the Life Cycle

Economists have long observed that wages alone do not fully reflect a job’s value—job “amenities” also play a role. Recent empirical studies have confirmed this observation to be the case. Researchers are also finding that workers frequently choose to take lower-paying jobs, which suggests that not only do workers care about the non-wage characteristics of a job, but also that they will change jobs throughout their lives to achieve the best mix of wages and amenities that is right (and obtainable) for them.