The effectiveness of ESeC and EGP in clustering occupations

In practice, as discussed in Chapter 1, most socio-economic classifications may be understood as a clustering of similar occupations into a set of distinct classes. For instance, limiting the discussion on class to employees, a class schema, according to Goldthorpe (2007a), aims at grouping occupations into those characterized by a service relationship (the ‘salariat’) and those with a labour contract. ¹ In between we have groups of occupations with a mixed contract. Employees in occupations characterized by a service relationship are offered long-term benefits by the employer, while the labour contract is characterized by a lack of long-term rewards. In sum, the theory predicts that individuals who stay with the same employer over time have, as a function of their class position, different levels of long-term rewards (e.g. wage growth).