Author Topic: Study: Adding a 20 minute commute is like a 19% pay cut  (Read 2080 times)

zuht

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 2
Study: Adding a 20 minute commute is like a 19% pay cut
« on: December 14, 2017, 07:28:40 PM »
I was pleased to see this article on The Ladders, which I would normally assume prioritizes wages over all else:

https://www.theladders.com/p/29246/shorter-commute-is-like-pay-cut

And the original paper, "The Commuting and Wellbeing Study" out of the UK, here: https://travelbehaviour.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/caw-summaryreport-onlineedition.pdf

This hits home for me, having recently concluded a protracted job search where I desperately wanted out of a high-paying but toxic software development job. I had nearly resigned myself to driving across town in order to maintain my level of earnings, but thankfully held out and reduced my commute from 3 miles to 2 miles without taking a pay cut. I still haven't made the switch from car commuting to bike commuting, but I feel good about that come Springtime (yes, I'm a bit of a baby).

Unsurprisingly, the researchers note:

Quote
The “acceptance” of lengthier commutes being an unavoidable part “may only be retained if the commute is considered unavoidable and a social norm”

Mississippi Mudstache

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2170
  • Age: 40
  • Location: Danielsville, GA
    • A Riving Home - Ramblings of a Recusant Woodworker
Re: Study: Adding a 20 minute commute is like a 19% pay cut
« Reply #1 on: December 15, 2017, 07:08:18 AM »
I can't help but chuckle. In 2016, I took a job that lengthened my commute by exactly 20 minutes in exchange for a 19.1% pay raise. But I also moved from a cubicle farm to a window office and dumped big corporate America for a small consulting firm. Suffice it to say that my job satisfaction has increased tremendously, despite the annoying commute (25 miles/30 minutes each way).

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!