Abstract
The article compares the work situations of five occupational groups in Finland and Estonia: industrial workers, clerical employees, technicians, teachers and managers. The main concern is with the structuration of the work situation, of which four aspects are given central attention: 1) objective characteristics, 2) the reproduction situation, 3) the nature of work, and 4) developmental aspects of work and the subjective experiences of qualification requirements.
The main differences between the two countries are summarised as follows: 1) Wage differentials between occupational groups are greater in Finland than in Estonia. The differences between genders are greater in Estonia. In Estonia relative incomes are highest among industrial workers, in Finland among managers. 2) In all occupational groups Estonian workers have a higher educational level than colleagues in Finland. 3) All occupational groups experience more mental and physical stress in Finland than in Estonia. 4) Finnish managers have more decision-making authority than their Estonian colleagues, but Estonian workers have supervisory and task authority more often than do Finnish workers.
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