Working Life Barometer in the Baltic Countries 2002 (pdf) - mol.fi

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In all three countries an overwhelming majority, 80 – 90 % of the working
population, were sceptical as to development in the purchasing power of their
salary. Those who definitely believed the most (17 %) in an improvement in
purchasing power after one year were the Latvians. The Estonians and Lithuanians
were clearly more sceptical. Despite the low proportion (10 %) believing
in purchasing power improvement in Lithuania, the percentage has risen compared
with 1998; in Estonia, by contrast, it has dropped slightly 5 .
On the whole, the working people of Latvia - whether in the public or the private
sector, men or women - are clearly more optimistic than those of Estonia
and Lithuania. In Lithuania, belief in improvement of purchasing power is a
little weaker still than in Estonia. The differences between the countries reflect
very accurately the changes of the last few years. The real salary level in Latvia
has risen. In Estonia, the increase in consumer prices has eaten away the
raises in salary. In Lithuania, on the other hand, very few are receiving an increased
salary and the changes have been small.
From the profiles of those believing that the purchasing power of their salary
would improve in the coming year, it can be seen that - in all the Baltic countries
- the men are definitely more optimistic about this than the women. Many
Latvian men in particular believe in such an improvement. Private-sector
workers regard the future more positively than those in the public sector.
Improvement in purchasing power is believed in more at new workplaces than
at the reorganised and the old ones. Working people at reorganised workplaces
in Lithuania have been exceptionally sceptical. It was seen above that in the
past, salary development at new workplaces was poorer than at old ones, on
average. The fact that the purchasing power of salaries is nevertheless believed
in at new workplaces, indicates that the decrease in average salaries is a result
of the birth of new workplaces with lower pay than before, rather than reduction
of existing workers' salaries.
In Latvia, manual workers reckon nearly as often as the others that the purchasing
power of their salaries will grow. In Lithuania, on the other hand, the
corresponding proportion is very low. Among the various categories of work-
5 In 1998 in Estonia, 12.5 % of the working people believed that their purchasing power would improve
during the coming year; in 2002, 11.2 % thought that way.