Slovenian work values before and after EU accession

Measuring working conditions

Slovenia does not have a national working conditions survey; nevertheless, various elements of working conditions are explored in specific surveys (Kanjuo-Mrčela and Trbanc, 2008). Examples include the following:

• a survey on human resource management (HRM) practices in Slovenian organisations (2001 and 2004);
• a survey on adult participation in education (2004);
• a annual survey on the organisational environment in Slovenian organisations (2001 onwards);
• a survey among managers in Slovenian organisations on perceptions about health and safety at work and risk preventive actions in this area (2005);
• the Slovenian part of the European Social Survey (ESS) (2004);
• a survey on harassment in the workplace (2007).

The most valuable source of information about working conditions in Slovenia is the Slovenian section of the Work Orientations module of the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP). The survey is best known as the Slovenian Public Opinion Survey: International Comparative Study on Work Orientation (Slovensko javno mnenje: Mednarodna raziskava Stališča o delu, SJM).

About the survey

Slovenia has taken part in ISSP work orientation surveys carried out in 1997 (SJM97 (in Slovenian)) and 2005 (SJM05 (in Slovenian)) by the Public Opinion and Mass Communication Research Centre (Center za raziskovanje javnega mnenja in množičnih komunikacij, CJM) at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ljubljana. The surveys are based on a representative sample of about 1,000 respondents, who were interviewed over a two-month period in both years.

The analysis of this report is based on the two waves of the ISSP survey. SJM97 was conducted between November and December 1997 and comprised 1,005 interviews. SJM05 was carried out from March to April 2005 and included 1,002 interviews. The response rate was 32% in 1997 and 62% in 2005. Both survey waves used a systematic multistage random sampling including adults aged 18 years or older living at a residential address in Slovenia, based on the Central Register of the Population. Trained interviewers visited respondents at their home to perform face-to-face interviews using standardised questionnaires.

The survey covers questions on the work orientation of Slovenians in general in relation to work values, job preferences and their preferred work situation. It also includes questions on the work orientation of people in paid employment and their preferences about the main job, working time and working conditions in the main paid job, work-life balance, social relations and the work environment, job satisfaction and the attitude towards employment.

This study first presents the work orientation of the Slovenian population in general to see how time use preferences, work values and job preferences changed in the period 1997–2005; it is noteworthy that Slovenia joined the European Union on 1 May 2004. The second part of the report presents the work orientation of people in paid employment with a focus on the situation in the paid job and job satisfaction, as defining features of the work orientation of Slovenians in paid employment. Only employees are included in the second part.

General work orientation

This part of the report outlines the general work orientation of Slovenians over the period 1997–2005, including both people who were in paid employment and those who were not in paid employment at the time of the survey. The answers of those who were not working in the labour market at the time of the survey refer to their previous job.

The following themes are covered:

• the way that Slovenians would like to spend more time, whether with their friends, family, in leisure activities, doing household work or in a paid job;
• what Slovenians value in their work, whether it be job security, a high income, career advancement, an interesting job, autonomous work, helping others, a job that is useful to society, flexible working time or associating with co-workers;
• their job preferences.

Time use preferences

Generally, Slovenians would like to spend more time with their family, with friends and in leisure activities (over 40% of the respondents shared this opinion) and would like to spend less time in paid work (25% or more expressed this preference). Some changes have emerged in the time use preferences of Slovenians over the 1997–2005 period, with people wanting to spend more time in all of the activities in 2005 compared with 1997. The biggest change is in the proportion of people who would like to spend more time with their friends, which increased by eight percentage points – from 41% in 1997 to 49% in 2005 (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Time use preferences, 1997 and 2005 (%)

Notes: Survey respondents were asked, ‘Suppose you could change the way you spend your time, spending more time on some things and less time on others. Which of the things on the following list would you like to spend more time on, which would you like to spend less time on and which would you like to spend the same amount of time on as now?’ Scale from one (much more time) to five (much less time). For the purpose of the analysis, the five answer categories have been recoded into three: more time, same amount of time as now and less time. Some of the data for all of the figures may add up to slightly more or less than 100% due to rounding of data.

Source: CJM, 1997 and 2005

Time use preferences, 1997 and 2005 (%)

Gender differences

In 2005, both men and women would generally like to spend more time with their family and in leisure activities, and less time in paid work (Figure 2). However, women in particular would like to spend more time with friends: 53% of women expressed this view, compared with 44% of men. Another significant gender difference in the time use preferences is that many more women than men would like to spend less time in household work (19% and 11% respectively).

Figure 2: Time use preferences, by gender, 2005 (%)

Source: CJM, 2005

Time use preferences, by gender, 2005 (%)

Work values

Both in 1997 and 2005, the Slovenian population found job security, a high income and an interesting job to be more important work values than autonomous work, helping others, having a job useful to society, career advancement and flexible working time.

In 2005, the most important work value was having an interesting job – 94% of people agreed that such a job is important – while flexible working time and career advancement were the least important work values (Figure 3). Nevertheless, 77% of Slovenians found flexible working time important and 79% considered career advancement as important.

Looking at trends, no major changes arise in work values. Over the 1997–2005 period, there has been a small decrease in the proportion of Slovenians who agreed that job security, a high income, career advancement, autonomous work, helping others, having a job useful to society and flexible working time are important work values. On the other hand, the proportion of people who rated an interesting job as an important work value increased slightly. The question on association with co-workers was only asked in the 2005 survey and a high proportion of people (86%) agreed that it is important to associate with co-workers in a job.

Figure 3: Importance of work values, 1997 and 2005 (%)

Notes: Survey respondents were asked, ‘How important do you personally think it is in a job…’, referring to the above variables. Scale from one (most important) to five (not important at all). For the purpose of the analysis, the five answer categories have been recoded into three: important, neither important nor unimportant, and unimportant.

Source: CJM, 1997 and 2005

Importance of work values, 1997 and 2005 (%)

Gender differences

In 2005, among the most important work values – job security, a high income and an interesting job – only job security was more important to women than men (Figure 4). Other work values that were more important to women than men were helping others, having a job useful to society, flexible working time and association with co-workers. Women found career advancement to be a less important work value, while flexible working time was less important to men. However, the differences in the work values according to gender are generally small.

Figure 4: Importance of work values, by gender, 2005 (%)

Source: CJM, 2005

Importance of work values, by gender, 2005 (%)

Job preferences

When Slovenians were asked in 2005 about their employment preferences, the majority said that they would prefer to work in a small company and in the public sector.

Some differences emerge between the job preferences of men and women, especially concerning employment status. The majority of women (57%) would prefer to be employees while the majority of men (54.5%) would prefer to be self-employed (Figure 5). Women would also prefer to work in the public sector more often than men would, although the majority of both genders prefer the public sector to the private sector.

Figure 5: Preferences between different kinds of jobs, by gender, 2005 (%)

Notes: Survey respondents were asked, ‘Suppose you were working and you could choose between different kinds of jobs. Which of the following would you personally choose: being an employee or self-employed; working in a small or in a large company; working in a private business or for the government or civil service.’

Source: CJM, 2005

Preferences between different kinds of jobs, by gender, 2005 (%)

Work orientation of those in paid employment

This part of the report will examine the work orientation of people who were in paid employment at the time of the survey, excluding self-employed persons. The analysis covers whether they had a secure job, a high income, career advancement opportunities, an interesting job, autonomous work, the chance to help other people, a job useful to society, the opportunity to improve skills and, finally, job satisfaction. Trends from 1997 to 2005 are also presented.

Situation in paid job

Figure 6 shows the perceptions of respondents about the work situation in their paid job. The respondents were asked to what extent they agreed or disagreed with the following statements: ‘My job is secure’, ‘My income is high’, ‘My opportunities for career advancement are high’, ‘My job is interesting’, ‘I can work autonomously’, ‘In my job, I can help other people’ and ‘My job is useful to society’. The last statement, ‘My job gives me a chance to improve my skills’, was only asked in the 2005 survey.

In 2005, more than 70% of the employees surveyed agreed that they had a secure job, an interesting job, a job useful to society, autonomous work and an opportunity at work to improve their skills, and that they were able to help other people. However, only 44% of employees reported having a high income and just over a quarter believed that they had good promotion prospects. The proportion of people who reported having a secure job and high income clearly increased in the period 1997–2005, while fewer employees agreed that they had a job useful to society.

Figure 6: Perceptions about aspects of paid job, 1997 and 2005 (%)

Notes: Survey respondents were asked, ‘For each of these statements about your (main) job, please answer how much you agree or disagree that it applies to your job: my job is secure, my income is high, my opportunities for career advancement are high, my job is interesting, I can work autonomously, in my job I can help other people, my job is useful to society, my job gives me a chance to improve my skills.’ Scale from one (strongly agree) to five (strongly disagree). For the purpose of the analysis, the five answer categories have been recoded into three: agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree.

Source: CJM, 1997 and 2005

Perceptions about aspects of paid job, 1997 and 2005 (%)

Gender differences

In 2005, more than 70% of women and men reported having an interesting job, working autonomously, helping others and having a job useful to society, while more than 70% of men also reported having a secure job and the chance to improve their skills (Figure 7).

Figure 7: Perceptions about aspects of paid job, by gender, 2005 (%)

Source: CJM, 2005

Perceptions about aspects of paid job, by gender, 2005 (%)

There are some differences in the way that men and women perceive their situation at work in the period 1997–2005. More women than men in 1997 reported having a secure job (74% of women compared with 63% of men), while in 2005 this trend was reversed with more men than women reporting job security (77% of men compared with 68% of women).

From 1997 to 2005, the work situation of men in their paid job improved regarding job security, income level, having an interesting job and work autonomy, while the situation of women in paid employment seems to have improved only with regard to income level. In 1997, 27% of women reported having a high income; by 2005, this proportion had increased by 16 percentage points. The share of men who reported having a high income increased in the 1997–2005 period by seven percentage points, from 38% in 1997 to 45% in 2005.

Sectoral influence

When comparing the work situation of employees in the private and public sectors in 2005, some differences emerge. Significantly more employees in the private sector than in the public sector reported having a high income (45% compared with 38%) and working autonomously (77% compared with 70%) (Figure 8). On the other hand, more employees in the public sector than in the private sector reported having a secure job (76% compared with 70%), helping others (79% compared with 71%) and having a job useful to society (83% compared with 66%).

Figure 8: Perceptions about aspects of paid job, by sector, 2005 (%)

Source: CJM, 2005

Perceptions about aspects of paid job, by sector, 2005 (%)

From 1997 to 2005, the work situation of employees in the private sector improved regarding job security, from 62% in 1997 to 70% in 2005. Their situation also improved in terms of reporting a high income, from 34% in 1997 to 45% in 2005. The work situation of employees in the public sector only improved with regard to reporting a high income, from 29% in 1997 to 38% in 2005.

Job satisfaction

The level of job satisfaction in Slovenia is high. In 2005, 70% of people in paid employment responded that they were satisfied with their job. The level of satisfaction increased in 2005 compared with 1997 (Figure 9).

Figure 9: Job satisfaction among employees, 1997 and 2005 (%)

Notes: Survey respondents were asked, ‘How satisfied are you in your (main) job?’ Scale from one to seven (completely satisfied, very satisfied, fairly satisfied, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, fairly dissatisfied, very dissatisfied and completely dissatisfied). For the purpose of the analysis, the seven answer categories have been recoded into three: satisfied, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied and dissatisfied.

Source: CJM, 1997 and 2005

Job satisfaction among employees, 1997 and 2005 (%)

Gender differences

Figure 10 shows the difference between men and women regarding job satisfaction. Data for 2005 reveal that more men (72.7%) than women (68%) were satisfied with their job; however, only 6% of both men and women were dissatisfied with their job. The proportion of men who were satisfied with their job increased from 67% in 1997 to almost 73% in 2005, while the share of women who were satisfied with their job grew by only a small amount in the same period (from 66% to 68%).

Figure 10: Job satisfaction, by gender, 2005 (%)

Source: CJM, 2005

Job satisfaction, by gender, 2005 (%)

Sectoral influence

In 2005, more employees in the public sector than in the private sector were satisfied with their job (Figure 11). However, slightly more workers in the public sector were also dissatisfied with their job than was the case among private sector workers. In the period 1997–2005, the level of job satisfaction increased significantly only among employees in the public sector, from 63% in 1997 to almost 72% in 2005.

Figure 11: Job satisfaction, by sector, 2005 (%)

Source: CJM, 2005

Job satisfaction, by sector, 2005 (%)

Commentary

The changes regarding the work orientation of the Slovenian population in the period 1997–2005 are mostly relatively small, partly due to the fact that values do not usually change very quickly. Nevertheless, the survey revealed some surprising results. One interesting change from 1997 to 2005 is the work situation of men and women concerning job security. In 1997, more women than men felt they had a secure job (74% of women compared with 63% of men), while in 2005 the trend was reversed with more men than women feeling that they had a secure job security (77% of men compared with 68% of women).

Slovenians in both 1997 and 2005 rated job security, a high income and an interesting job as the most important work values. Looking at employees’ perceptions about their work situation in the same period, more than 70% reported having an interesting job, autonomous work, being able to help other people, having a job useful to society and, in 2005, an opportunity to improve skills at work. On the other hand, fewer than half of employees agreed that they had a high income. Meanwhile, the proportion of employees perceiving their job as secure increased from 68% to 73%.

References

Kanjuo-Mrčela, A. and Trbanc, M., European Foundations for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound), Slovenia: Working conditions and social dialogue, Dublin, Eurofound, 2008, available online at: /ef/observatories/eurwork/erm/comparative-information/national-contributions/slovenia/slovenia-working-conditions-and-social-dialogue.

Public Opinion and Mass Communication Research Centre (Center za raziskovanje javnega mnenja in množičnih komunikacij, CJM), Slovenian public opinion survey 1997/3: International Comparative Study on Work Orientation, International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) 1997, University of Ljubljana, 1997.

CJM, Slovenian public opinion survey 2005/1: International Comparative Study on Work Orientation, ISSP 2005, University of Ljubljana, 2005.

Annex: Population sample

Source: CJM

Source: CJM

Source: CJM

Source: CJM

Barbara Lužar, Organisational and Human Resources Research Centre