Croatian workers in the period of transition: a five-year follow-up of job-related attitudes

Abstract

Every year since 1993 we have carried out a survey of job-related attitudes among Croatian employees. The purpose was (1) to learn about their occupational goals and job satisfaction in the period of transition and socio-economic crisis, and (2) to compare responses of employees from private firms, state-owned firms and government-financed institutions. Data were collected through a self-report questionnaire created to measure the respondents' general job satisfaction and attitudes towards specific job aspects (including job content, co-workers, management, pay, advancement possibilities, working conditions, participation in decision-making and job security). The questionnaire was administered individually under the guidance of trained interviewers. The sample comprised 1392 employees. The results generally reveal that pay was the most important job aspect during the period surveyed. High value was also placed upon good managers, pleasant co-workers and an interesting job. However, the perceived attainability of most job factors was extremely low, indicating a profound deficit in the need-satisfaction of the Croatian workforce. This deficit seemed to be less pronounced in the private sector: the respondents from private firms perceived job characteristics to be better and expressed more job satisfaction than the respondents from state-owned firms.