Description

The Work as a Means of Securing One’s Livelihood Scale (WMSOLS-9) is a nine-item self-report measure developed by Fischer and Kohr. It assesses a specific work orientation: the extent to which individuals view employment primarily as a means of earning money and securing their livelihood.

The scale examines the centrality of financial remuneration and economic security in an individual’s evaluation of work. It does not directly assess financial hardship, occupational stress, job satisfaction, burnout, or employment insecurity.

The WMSOLS-9 belongs to a broader group of measures developed to examine central perceptions of work, including the internalisation of work norms, perceived subordinate and supervisory roles, and work alienation.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the WMSOLS-9 is to determine the extent to which individuals adopt an instrumental orientation towards work, emphasising income and material security.

The scale may be used to:

  • assess financial or instrumental work orientation;
  • examine differences between occupational and socioeconomic groups;
  • investigate associations with job satisfaction and work motivation;
  • explore relationships with employment insecurity, autonomy, and work alienation;
  • study differences associated with income, occupational status, and employment conditions;
  • compare the financial function of work with other orientations, such as career advancement, social integration, or calling.

A high score does not necessarily indicate that an individual rejects the social, developmental, or personally meaningful aspects of work. It indicates that earning an income and securing one’s livelihood occupy a particularly important position in that individual’s work orientation.

Structure

The WMSOLS consists of nine statements that are generally treated as indicators of a single construct: viewing work as a means of financial security.

The items mainly concern:

  • the importance of income;
  • the need to secure one’s livelihood;
  • the priority assigned to financial remuneration;
  • the instrumental value of employment;
  • the relative importance of pay compared with other job characteristics.

Financial dependence, anxiety, and lack of employment opportunities are not established independent subscales of the WMSOLS-9.

Administration

Respondents indicate their level of agreement with each of the nine statements. The original format uses a five-point response scale.

A typical response format is:

  1. Strongly disagree
  2. Disagree
  3. Neither agree nor disagree
  4. Agree
  5. Strongly agree

The precise response labels should correspond to the official version or validated translation being administered. The scale may be completed in paper-based or electronic form and usually requires only a few minutes.

Scoring

The total score is calculated by summing the responses to the nine items:

  • Minimum score: 9
  • Maximum score: 45
  • Higher score: stronger orientation towards work as a means of securing one’s livelihood
  • Lower score: less emphasis on the financial and subsistence-related function of work

Before calculating the total, researchers should verify whether the specific version contains any reverse-scored items. Items should not be reversed without reference to the relevant scoring instructions.

There are no internationally accepted diagnostic cut-off scores. Results should not be arbitrarily classified as low, moderate, or high without suitable population-specific reference data.

Data Analysis

Analysis of WMSOLS-9 data may include:

  • means, medians, standard deviations, and score ranges;
  • examination of score distributions and outliers;
  • item-level response analysis;
  • comparisons between occupational, income, and demographic groups;
  • correlations with job satisfaction, employment insecurity, autonomy, and work alienation;
  • linear or multivariable regression analysis;
  • exploratory or confirmatory factor analysis;
  • internal-consistency assessment using Cronbach’s alpha or McDonald’s omega;
  • measurement-invariance testing before cross-cultural or longitudinal comparisons.

The WMSOLS-9 should not be treated as a direct measure of an individual’s objective financial circumstances. Interpretation can be strengthened by collecting information about income, employment contracts, job stability, household responsibilities, and the number of financially dependent family members.

Reliability and Validity

The original psychometric evaluation was based on a representative sample of 2,505 adults from the former West Germany. The scale demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.75. Corrected item–total correlations ranged from 0.15 to 0.58.

However, the unidimensional structure of the complete scale was not adequately examined during its initial development, and the available documentation provides limited contemporary evidence regarding convergent and discriminant validity. Its factorial structure, reliability, and validity should therefore be reassessed whenever the scale is applied to a new population.

Limitations

The WMSOLS-9 was developed in a historical, economic, and occupational context that differs substantially from contemporary employment conditions. The original data were collected in West Germany in 1976 and should not be treated as current normative values.

Viewing work as a means of securing one’s livelihood may be influenced by:

  • income level;
  • unemployment and employment insecurity;
  • family and financial responsibilities;
  • cost of living;
  • welfare and employment policies;
  • cultural beliefs about the meaning of work.

Use in a new language or cultural context requires systematic translation, back-translation, pilot testing, and psychometric validation. The scale is not a clinical or diagnostic instrument and should not be used independently for employee selection, performance appraisal, or other high-stakes individual decisions.

References

Fischer, A., & Kohr, H. (1980). Politisches Verhalten und empirische Sozialforschung: Leistung und Grenzen von Befragungsinstrumenten. Juventa.

Fischer, A., & Kohr, H. (2014). Arbeit als Mittel der Existenzsicherung. Zusammenstellung sozialwissenschaftlicher Items und Skalen.

Kohr, H. (1978). Bericht über eine Validierungsuntersuchung der Skalen „Anomie“, „Entfremdung von der Arbeit“ und „Arbeit als Mittel zur Existenzsicherung“. Schriftenreihe Innere Führung, 32, 41–48.

Wrzesniewski, A., McCauley, C., Rozin, P., & Schwartz, B. (1997). Jobs, careers, and callings: People’s relations to their work. Journal of Research in Personality, 31(1), 21–33.