Most Czech workers are satisfied with their jobs, according to the findings of the quantitative survey ‘Quality of working life’ carried out by Public Opinion Research Institute and Occupational Safety Research Institute in 2006. A greater degree of satisfaction was expressed by people who had a higher level of educational attainment and higher status jobs with better pay, than those who did not. Self-employed workers were found to be more satisfied than employees.
About the study
The representative survey ‘Quality of working life’ was carried out by the Public Opinion Research Institute (CVVM) and Occupational Safety Research Institute (VÚBP) in 2006. The survey was part of the project entitled ‘Influence of changes in the world of work on quality of life’ financed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MPSV) within the framework of the ‘Modern society and its transformations’ programme.
The survey focused on different aspects of the quality of working life of which job satisfaction was one of the key points. Those surveyed were 2,043 employed people above the age of 15 years. Information was collected through questionnaire-based standardised personal interviews.
Job satisfaction at different levels
The results of the study indicate that almost 58% of Czech workers are satisfied with their jobs, 32.3% are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, and only about 10% are dissatisfied (Figure 1).
A higher degree of satisfaction is expressed by people with higher level of education, in higher working positions with higher pay:
- 35% of workers who have only primary education are satisfied with their jobs, with 22% dissatisfied.
- 81% of graduates are satisfied with their jobs, with only 1% reporting dissatisfaction (Figure 2).
Job satisfaction is most often expressed by executive and management staff (86%), scientific and professional or intellectual workers (76%) and technical, healthcare and teaching staff (74%). In contrast, the least job satisfaction is felt by auxiliary and unskilled workers, with only 27% saying they are satisfied (Figure 3).
Job satisfaction in different sectors of economy
Differences in the level of job satisfaction can also be observed in different sectors. The lowest level of satisfaction is expressed by workers in the sector of trade, repair of motor vehicles and consumer goods. The highest satisfaction levels are expressed by workers in real estate, research and development, education, public administration, and finance and banking (see table).
Job satisfaction in selected sectors (%)
| Sector | Highly/rather satisfied | Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied | Rather/strongly dissatisfied |
| Real estate, services for companies, research and development | 76.1 | 22.4 | 1.5 |
| Education | 75.2 | 21.7 | 3.2 |
| Public administration, defence, compulsory social security | 74.6 | 18.9 | 6.6 |
| Financial and insurance activities | 73.2 | 23.9 | 2.8 |
| Healthcare, veterinary and social work | 67.9 | 25.6 | 6.4 |
| Other public, social and personal services | 64.9 | 24.6 | 10.5 |
| Electricity, gas and water supply | 53.8 | 36.5 | 9.6 |
| Construction | 53.4 | 34.2 | 12.4 |
| Manufacturing industry | 53.1 | 35.3 | 11.7 |
| Agriculture and hunting, forestry | 48.3 | 41.4 | 10.3 |
| Accommodation and food service | 48.3 | 44.9 | 6.8 |
| Transportation, storage, post and telecommunications | 47.9 | 38.8 | 13.3 |
| Trade, repair of motor vehicles and consumer goods | 45.5 | 39.2 | 15.4 |
Source: Occupational Safety Research Institute, 2006
Self-employed workers were found to be more satisfied than employees. While 55% of full-time employees and 45% of part-time employees said that they were satisfied with their jobs, 82% of entrepreneurs and self-employed workers said they were satisfied (Figure 4).
Commentary
The survey showed the public sector to be a good and liked employer, with 70% of the respondents working in public offices, institutions and local authorities saying that they are satisfied with their job. By contrast, job satisfaction among employees in the private sector is noticeably lower, especially in Czech-owned companies. Job satisfaction is reported by 52% of workers in companies with a foreign owner and by 47% of employees in Czech-owned companies, while 14% of workers in Czech companies are dissatisfied.
References
Occupational Safety Research Institute, ‘Quality of working life survey’ 2006, Prague
Štěpánka Pfeiferová, Research Institute for Labour and Social Affairs (RILSA)
