Estonian Human Development Report

Figure 3.2.2. Financial means of households, 2008 (%)
Travel
Furnishing and/or repairing one’s dwelling
Entertainment, e.g. theatre, concerts,
hobbies, e.g. sports, photography, etc.
Buying clothes
Medicine, taking care of one’s health
10.9 29.6 44.7 14.8
17.1 37.8 36.1 9.0
28.7 37.5 23.8 10.0
45.2 39.7 12.2 2.9
58.6 27.5 6.2 7.7
Housing costs, heating, water, etc.
79.7 17.1
1.9 1.3
Eating adequately
77.9 18.7 3.4
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Usually enough
Sometimes enough, sometimes not
Source: Integration of Estonian Society: Monitoring 2008
Not enough, have been forced to do without
Do not need it, do not spend money on it
Compared to the earlier period, however, the financial
means of the Estonian population have improved considerably.
For example, in 1994 a quarter of the respondents had
to give up eating meat and fish products more than once
a week (see Einasto 2002:105), while in 1999 the same was
true for 12.9% and in 2006 for 10% of the respondents.
To conclude, there have been no great changes in the
structure of consumption opportunities in recent years.
During the early 1990s’ shortage economy, the quality of
life depended, to a great extent, on the availability of primary
goods and the ability to satisfy basic needs, while
nowadays the opportunity to spend one’s vacation away
from home can be considered an important indicator of
quality of life. In 2006, 33% of the respondents were able to
afford a week-long vacation away from home without any
problems, in comparison with 19% in 1999.
Employment
A satisfying job and job security play a significant role in
one’s quality of life. According to labour market statistics,
the employment rate has grown in the 2000s, and unemployment
has dropped from 13.6% in 2000 to 4.7% in 2007.
Through the years, men aged 15–24, non-citizens, the residents
of Ida-Viru county and rural regions in South-Eastern
Estonia have been at the highest risk of unemployment
(see Kasearu & Trumm 2008). As a result of the economic
recession, the unemployment rate has grown again during
the past year (according to Statistics Estonia, the number
of people who have been unemployed less than 6 months
grew from 12,400 to 20,000 during the second quarter of
2008) and it appears likely that the deterioration of the
labour market situation may worsen people’s work-related
quality of life.
Job security. In addition to the unemployment rate, it
is important to look at subjective perceptions of the labour
market situation. Similar to the drop in unemployment,
there has been a decrease in the level of concern regarding
job loss. In 1994, half of the respondents were not concerned
about losing their jobs; in 2006, more than three
quarters of the respondents were certain that they would
not lose their jobs (Figure 3.2.3.). This means that job
security has increased significantly during the monitored
period and the differences between social groups have
Figure 3.2.3. Percentage of respondents who are
not afraid of losing their jobs
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
60
69.4
79.6
56.8
48.6
15–24 25–49 50–64
Age
1994 1999
85.2
2006
56.4
51.2
81.2
Source: Estonian living conditions studies, 1994 and 1999; European Social
Survey 2006.
grown smaller. According to the Integration of Estonian
Society: Monitoring 2008, 41% of Estonians and 29% of
non-Estonians were certain that they could find a suitable
job in Estonia if necessary. However, the current economic
downturn will probably diminish the general sense
of job security.
Job satisfaction. Low pay, working at night (Tausig &
Fenwick 2001), overtime (Crompton and Lyonette 2006;
Dex and Bond 2005; Grzywacz and Marks 2000; Voyandoff
2004) and the accompanying problems related to reconciling
work and family life may decrease job satisfaction and
quality of life. In 2008, 72% of the population were satisfied
with their jobs, and 23% of the population expressed high
satisfaction with their jobs. Job satisfaction is closely connected
to the improvement of professional knowledge and
skills: 55% of people who participated in self-education programs
during the last six months are completely satisfied
with their jobs. Meanwhile, half of the people who have not
taken part in any training/schooling programs during the
last ten years are very dissatisfied with their jobs.
However, the relatively high level of job satisfaction is
eclipsed, by the large difference in opinions among different
social groups. Job satisfaction is higher in the case of
people with higher income (80%, while the job satisfac-
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