In 2005, the Belgian workforce reported the lowest job satisfaction in Europe. That's been a big issue for the society and the Belgian government moved to try to correct the situation. Retention of workers, particularly older workers, has been an ongoing study.
Measures of job satisfaction are based on a range of factors.
The basic factors, having accounted for age, gender, managerial roles, and industry related issues, are:
Studies conducted in 2007 indicated that for older workers, commitment to the organization and perceptions regarding job security were more negative relative to age. Younger workers were more secure and more inclined to commit, while older and mature age workers tended to be more reserved.
The remuneration levels are an obvious factor in any assessment. Remuneration levels were used in studies of job satisfaction in Belgium across the spectrum of full time and other forms of employment. It was found that incentive levels were the primary factor in job satisfaction.
Recent Belgian studies have found that a favorable feedback environment in the workplace had direct correlations to job satisfaction. This fundamental mechanism of interaction with management creates better relationships within the workplace.
|
Belgium, as a place to work by global standards, is on a par with Western Europe, in terms of working conditions. The dissatisfaction levels are based on relatively high standards.
|
|
Training
Training, particularly the perception of lack of training opportunities provided by employers, was identified as a cause significant dissatisfaction. It's understandable that in the modern workplace, with ongoing studies and constant upgrading of systems and methods, this would be viewed as a potential problem.
That said, Belgium isn't a backward or old style economy. Quite the opposite, it's a very modern workplace. The complaints about training may reflect a lack of opportunity relative to expectations. As a general issue in a modern Western workforce it is grounds for legitimate grievance, if true.
Job opportunities
'Labour Mobility' is the catch cry of the employment industry in Europe. Like many other business cultures, the image is of a highly mobile workforce. The image is a sort of lifestyle magazine to people in the employment market, and like a lifestyle magazine, it's more advertisement than fact.
That sort of image can be irritating. Belgian workers expressed significant dissatisfaction in the original 2005 study, during a boom period in which neighboring countries like the United Kingdom, Germany and France were experiencing record growth.
|
In fact, the job dissatisfaction levels of 2005 did get a response from the Belgian government. According to the OECD Economic Survey Of Belgium, Belgium did in fact increase its level of employment in the period to 2007. This was as a result of government job creation initiatives including labour retention programs for older workers. However, labour supply also increased, which means that the unemployment level remained static.
|
|
(In fairness to both the initiatives and the workers' viewpoints, it does take significant numbers of new jobs to have a major impact on unemployment rates.)
So the dissatisfaction has had some basis in fact, and the 2008 economic meltdown hasn't helped. However, on the positive side, it should be noted that the Belgian workforce got a much quicker government response to the workforce situation than is usual in other Western countries.
