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

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TRENDS IN ESTONIAN WORKING LIFE 1998 AND 2002
Meaningfulness
of working
Selfdevelopment
Management
method
Environmental
issues
Empowerment
in own job
Information
on work aims
Estonia 1998
Estonia 2002
Gender
equality-10% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40%
Balance = better direction - worse direction (%-units)
The factor that has, in the workers' view, been changing the most definitely in
a positive direction in both 1998 and 2002 is the meaningfulness of working,
the desire to work. In second place in both years has been self-development.
On the other hand, the most doubt has been expressed regarding development
of gender equality and empowerment. The trend assessments tell what those at
a workplace feel about the changes at the time of the interview. Although an
indicator of this kind has proved a very sensitive predictor of imminent
changes, it is important to note that what is involved here is indeed an evaluation
of changes. It is not possible to say, on the basis of the question asked,
whether the situation in 2002 as regards management methods, for instance, is
better than for equality issues.
When the assessments made three years apart are compared, the aspects that
have changed the most in a positive direction are gender equality and environmental
issues at the workplace. The evaluation of the trend in meaningfulness
of working has changed the least in three years; but that, too, has been a
little more favourable than before, as have all the other trend assessments. On
the whole, the Estonians took a definitely more optimistic view of working life
trends in 2002 than three years earlier.