BEAR, Berkeley Economic Advising and Research

ProjectsSCAG

SCAG: a Job Quality Index for Southern California

A way for SCAG to measure job quality across Southern California and its six counties that reflects what local workers actually value, and that can be updated over time.

Southern California Association of GovernmentsJob Quality Index FrameworkSCAG, June 2024Open the public record (PDF)

The question

How can SCAG measure job quality across the region, county by county, in a way grounded in what workers themselves value?

What BEAR found

2,900Workers surveyed: 500 in each of five counties and 400 in Imperial
16Job attributes weighed, in four groups

The index weights 16 job attributes in four categories (earnings, benefits, workplace conditions and personal factors) using a representative survey of 2,900 workers.

All groups value direct pay most, but women weigh workplace conditions much more heavily, and older workers weigh childcare coverage less. Scores differ by industry; direct compensation scores higher in public administration than in arts, recreation and hospitality, for example.

Method

A review of job quality measures, a survey fielded with county quotas by age, ethnicity and gender, and a spreadsheet index tool that combines the survey weights with economic indicators by county, industry and occupation.

Public record

How to cite

Berkeley Economic Advising and Research (2024). Job Quality Index Framework. Prepared for the Southern California Association of Governments. June 2024.

More from this practice area