Internet use and job satisfaction

Does the use of Internet for professional purposes foster job satisfaction? We argue that Internet use affects well-being at work in an indirect manner: it mediates the effect of some important work characteristics on job satisfaction. Specifically, we focus on six main dimensions previously investigated in the literature – income, education, occupation type, autonomy, time pressure and social interactions – and we develop new hypothesis on how Internet use interacts with these factors. To test these hypotheses, we use data on more than 60,000 workers from the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS), and estimate a bivariate ordered probit econometric model. The results point out that Internet technologies enhance job satisfaction by improving access to data and information, creating new activities and opportunities, and facilitating communication and social interactions. However, the results also suggest that these positive effects are skewed. Workers in some specific occupations, and with higher income and education levels, tend to benefit relatively more from the Internet vis-a-vis workers in other sectors that are more weakly related to ICTs activities.