Most employees appear to be satisfied with their working conditions, with certain variations according to the characteristics of the work and the worker, according to the most recent Living in Luxembourg socioeconomic panel survey. However, one in three workers report that they frequently feel stressed at work.
Employees generally satisfied
The annual Living in Luxembourg socioeconomic panel (Panel Socio-Économique Liewen zu Lëtzebuerg, PSELL-3) survey examines the well-being of workers in Luxembourg (see below for further details about the study). In 2004, when asked how satisfied they were at work, 39% of employees stated that they were completely satisfied, while 54% were fairly satisfied, 6% fairly dissatisfied and 1% not at all satisfied. Thus, approximately nine out of 10 employees were satisfied in their work.
However, feeling satisfied with one’s work in general does not mean that all aspects related to working conditions are felt to be satisfying. Autonomy at work, working hours, organisation of working hours and relations among colleagues receive the highest satisfaction ratings, with 90% or more of employees being completely or fairly satisfied in these areas. In contrast, employees are least often satisfied with career prospects and training opportunities, at 67% and 66%, respectively. In the case of cross-border workers, that is, those who commute to Luxembourg for work, employees are least satisfied with the journey between home and work, at 62%. Size of company, place of work and the sex of the worker do not appear to be discriminatory factors. Nevertheless, the annual survey has also identified substantial gender segregation in the labour market (LU0702019I).
Employees’ opinions on various work-related elements (%)
Employees’ opinions on various work-related elements (%) | | Cross-border workers | Residents | Total |
| | Satisfied | Dis-satisfied | Satisfied | Dis-satisfied | Satisfied | Dis-satisfied |
| Working hours | 88 | 12 | 90 | 10 | 90 | 10 |
| Organisation of working hours | 88 | 12 | 90 | 10 | 90 | 10 |
| Relations with colleagues | 92 | 8 | 95 | 5 | 94 | 6 |
| Relations with supervisors | 86 | 14 | 88 | 12 | 86 | 14 |
| Autonomy at work | 95 | 5 | 95 | 5 | 95 | 5 |
| Pace of work | 87 | 13 | 91 | 9 | 89 | 11 |
| Career prospects | 64 | 36 | 70 | 30 | 67 | 33 |
| Content of work | 92 | 8 | 93 | 7 | 92 | 8 |
| Noise at work | 76 | 24 | 84 | 16 | 81 | 19 |
| Posture at workstation | 82 | 18 | 85 | 15 | 83 | 17 |
| Remuneration | 83 | 17 | 79 | 21 | 81 | 19 |
| Journey between home and work | 62 | 38 | 88 | 12 | 78 | 22 |
| Training opportunities | 57 | 43 | 73 | 27 | 66 | 34 |
| Overall satisfaction with working conditions | 93 | 7 | 93 | 7 | 93 | 7 |
Sources: For cross-border workers: CEPS/INSTEAD, ‘Cross-border workers in Luxembourg’, 2003; for residents: CEPS/INSTEAD, STATEC, PSELL-3/2004 (see below for further details)
Factors influencing work satisfaction
Job security and the type of employment contract are the most important criteria as far as overall work satisfaction is concerned. Employees who are not at risk of losing their job are more likely to feel satisfied in their work than those who cite such a risk. Employees on fixed-term contracts are less satisfied than those on permanent contracts.
Since the type of job is linked to the level of education, satisfaction at work is higher when the educational levels and salary are high. Likewise, people whose job is intellectual and/or scientific in nature are generally more satisfied than unskilled white and blue-collar workers are. Moreover, the responsibility of supervising other people and being able to affect the course of their career or influence their salary increases the chance of being satisfied.
Satisfaction at work is also linked to working hours. People who regularly work more than 48 hours a week are less satisfied than those whose working hours average around 40 hours a week.
Luxembourg is relatively unusual in that a high number of its workers come from neighbouring countries: employees from Luxembourg represent just 33% of the workforce, while those from other countries constitute 28% and cross-border workers comprise 39% of the labour market. Work satisfaction varies between these groups. In general, cross-border workers are more satisfied than the Luxembourg residents; those travelling from Germany are most satisfied among the different nationalities, followed by the Belgian commuters and then the French. This variation is explained, among other reasons, by the fact that the cross-border workers’ overall assessment also reflects the standard of working conditions – especially salary – and the cost of living in their country of residence.
High levels of occupational stress
When asked whether they felt that work was a source of stress, 30% of employees replied that they often did, while 45% sometimes did and 25% rarely did. Stress is reported more frequently among employees who fear losing their job, among those working longer hours than average and among those who hold positions of responsibility. Employees in the construction sector are least likely to describe their work as a frequent source of stress, followed by those working in financial intermediation. However, no significant difference in this regard emerges between employees in the financial intermediation sector and those in other sectors of economic activity (for stress levels in different sectors, see also LU0607019I).
The size of the company also seems to play a role in terms of stress at work: employees working in small companies cite occupational stress less often than those working in larger companies. Moreover, perception of occupational stress changes with age, sex and country of origin, reflecting different perspectives. Thus, in identical situations, younger people and men complain less often of stress in their work than do older people and women. By country of origin, the same trends are found in respect of occupational stress as were found in relation to overall satisfaction at work. Stress at work is found less frequently among cross-border workers than Luxembourg residents, while no differences emerge between resident foreigners and nationals.
Survey methodology
The Living in Luxembourg socioeconomic panel (Panel Socio-Économique Liewen zu Lëtzebuerg, PSELL-3) survey is carried out annually by the Centre for Population, Poverty and Socioeconomic Policy Studies (Centre d’Études de Populations, de Pauvreté et de Politiques Socio-Économiques)/International Networks for Studies in Technology, Environment, Alternatives, Development (CEPS/Instead). The survey is conducted, in cooperation with the National Service for Statistics and Economic Studies in Luxembourg (Service central de la statistique et des études économiques, STATEC), on a representative sample of the country’s resident population.
The survey aims to assess the well-being of Luxembourg’s employees. Data are collected from a representative sample of households in the country, with the aim of creating a longitudinal and dynamic database; personal details remain anonymous and protected by professional secrecy. In total, 3,500 households have taken part on a voluntary basis in the survey, amounting to 9,500 individuals. They receive one questionnaire each year, which they fill out with the help of a researcher, who comes to their home.
In addition to this sample of Luxembourg households, CEPS/Instead and STATEC have extended their survey to the three countries bordering Luxembourg. Since, as noted above, the Luxembourg labour market is characterised by a significant proportion of cross-border workers (around 39% of the economically active population), a database has been created of 1,079 cross-border workers from France, 759 from Belgium, and 631 from Germany.
Odette Wlodarski, Prevent