How do workers respond to dissatisfaction with commuting and work? Insights from a panel survey in Luxembourg

Despite extensive literature on commuting satisfaction, the question of how individuals adapt to commuting dissatisfaction has not been thoroughly analysed. This study, using a Luxembourgish panel-based survey from 2013 to 2015, investigates how individuals cope with or tolerate commuting dissatisfaction over subsequent years. Employing cluster analysis, different satisfaction profiles are identified based on commuting time satisfaction (CTS) and work satisfaction (WS) in 2013. Cross-tabulations between these profiles and life events highlight that dissatisfaction predominantly leads to more frequent workplace changes than changes in residences. Logistic regression reveals that low CTS and WS combination clusters have a higher likelihood of changing workplaces in subsequent years compared to high CTS and WS combinations. Notably, the cluster with high CTS-low WS demonstrates a stronger effect on changing workplaces than the reverse combination, suggesting work dissatisfaction may outweigh dissatisfaction with commuting time. Despite these findings, a substantial majority of individuals enduring dissatisfaction are constrained from making a switch. Such findings on the prospective approaches of CTS and WS (i.e. what happens if people are dissatisfied with their commuting and work) are first of its kind and will assist in identifying the most common coping strategies individuals employ to respond to dissatisfaction in their personal lives.