This analysis examines the applicability of the emotional labor scale from the Emotions at Work Scale (EWS) through the assessment of its psychometric properties in a sample of young workers. Factor analysis and test—retest reliability were conducted on a 13-item scale measuring emotional labor. The EWS 13-item emotional labor scale was refined to 9 items. Two subscales were delineated: 5 items measured surface acting and 4 items measured deep acting, each with a mean inter-item correlation of 0.33. Cronbach's alpha was .96 for the 9-item scale, and .71 and .67 for the surface acting and deep acting subscales, respectively. Test—retest reliability was 0.64 for surface acting and 0.51 for deep acting during a mean interval of 3 months. Emotional labor can be quantitatively measured among young workers using the derived 9-item scale, although additional studies further evaluating its use should be conducted.
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