Self-employment and job satisfaction: evidence for older people with disabilities in Europe

The aim of this study is to analyse and compare the levels of job satisfaction reported by self-employed and salaried workers (aged 50–64) by disability status across Europe. Particular attention is paid to testing whether the effect of self-employment on job satisfaction is greater for disabled workers as compared to non-disabled ones. Using the first two waves (2004 and 2007) of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) for eleven countries, we estimate job satisfaction equations for older workers with and without disabilities. The results show that self-employed persons are more satisfied with their jobs. However, there is no evidence that the association between self-employment and job satisfaction is different for disabled and non-disabled older persons. Policy makers can promote self-employment among older workers with disabilities to increase their employment and income rates and levels of job satisfaction.