UK government publishes well-being report

The British government has for the first time published a report on the link between well-being and worker performance, in an indication of the increasing importance that economists and policymakers are placing on citizens’ happiness.

The report, which was prepared by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, aims to fill the perceived gap in the literature on well-being.

It argues that there is "a prima facie case for employers to consider investing in the wellbeing of their employees on the basis of the likely performance benefits."

IZA World of Labor author Alex Bryson, who co-wrote the report, notes in a blog post for the NIESR that "further work is required to develop insights into how employers can facilitate the positive outcomes revealed in this study."

Employee well-being and happiness are the focus of two recent IZA World of Labor articles. Rainer Winkelmann has written for us on the link between unemployment and happiness, arguing that cost−benefit analyses of employment policies need to account for the intrinsic value of employment in generating happiness.

Meanwhile, Artjoms Ivlevs has written about happiness and migration, and whether people who are happier and more satisfied with their lives are more or less likely to migrate. He writes that policymakers "might want to include attention to subjective well-being in their migration policy agenda."

Read the NIESR report here.

Related articles:
Unemployment and happiness, by Rainer Winkelmann
Happiness and the emigration decision, by Artjoms Ivlevs 
Union wage effects, by Alex Bryson