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

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and acquiring of information as changing for the better. Opportunities for selfdevelopment,
on the other hand, are regarded sceptically.
Characteristic of Latvia has been the similarity in trend evaluations between
the two times under study. In 1998, the Latvian assessments of the trends were
clearly more favourable than those in the other two countries. Their positive
nature has remained, but those of the Estonians now come very close.
Due to the smallness of the changes in Latvia, it is hardly possible to trace
them to any given segment of working life. A slight change in the negative
direction is discernible in the private sector, however. It concerns, among others,
the evaluations regarding the meaningfulness of working, management
methods, and empowerment.
Lithuania differs clearly from the other two countries, because there, only the
assessments of the trend in gender equality are more positive than before. The
negative change in evaluations can be traced in particular to the men and to
those at the best working age, 30-49 years old. Those of nationality other than
Lithuanian have also seen the changes as negative.
On the whole, the employment expectations in all the countries are unfavourable.
That was also the situation three years before. The current trends in
working life are regarded quite critically in Lithuania. There, nevertheless, the
belief that the general employment situation will improve is definitely more
common than three years earlier. In Latvia, the expectations in this regard
have been, and still are, more positive than in the other two nations. The Estonians'
expectations concerning employment are the most sceptical of all.
In Estonia and Latvia, improvement in the economy of one's own workplace is
believed in more than it was before. The Lithuanians have been more pessimistic
about this than have the other two countries. In general, it can be said
that the Estonians trust in the economy of their own workplace but are sceptical
as far as the general trend in employment is concerned; and that the
Lithuanians, for their part, appear not to have confidence in their own workplace,
but believe nevertheless that the general employment situation will improve.