Employment is not seen by everyone as the most important factor of human development in the country. It is education that the Portuguese identify as the true engine of society, followed by health. Work comes only third, according to a study conducted by Cetelem-BNP Paribas Personal Finance in collaboration with NielsenIQ.
Despite the limitations usually attributed to the education system in Portugal, such as teacher strikes, school dropouts, the level of education of the population or the aging of teachers, it is in education that 39% of Portuguese put their faith in the country’s progress. according to the study “Human development, a key factor for Portugal’s success”.
Health, on the other hand, was the subject of 22% of the answers supreme to exploit Portugal, “further reinforcing its importance since the Covid-19 pandemic,” the note accompanying the study reads.
Only 8% of Portuguese see work as a determining factor for the development of the country, in a context where the initiators of the analysis emphasize the current challenges arising from the “volatility of the world”.
In a more detailed analysis, it can be seen that for 63% of Portuguese, citizens are primarily responsible for human development, while 57% attribute this function to the state, with a large proportion of respondents, 55%, schooling in this role . paper.
In the same logic, only 43% of Portuguese admit that companies can contribute to boosting the country. But the companies themselves, which were also consulted for the research, assume that “the greater the human development within the organization, the greater the competitiveness, which will result in an increase in national competitiveness,” the analysts add.
role of companies
But the research is not limited to the human development component, it also includes topics related to working conditions. For example, at the company level, respondents were asked to give their opinion on a wide range of topics, starting with what they value most about their work. In addition to salary, 33% place the cafeteria at the top of the fringe benefits and 31% consider extra vacation days, on top of the statutory days, as another relevant employment benefit.
When it comes to keeping or changing jobs, health insurance (20%) and work flexibility (17%) are “benefits that are increasingly important in the decision-making process of the Portuguese”. Based on the survey, retirement savings plans are valued in terms of benefits by only 3% of respondents.
Still in the business context, a significant majority of Portuguese (96%) claim to identify with the values of the company they work for, “but only 13% say they are strongly or completely aligned with these values”.
In terms of retaining or migrating talent, 24% of respondents admit to having a high level of engagement with their company, but the majority (55%) say they have an average degree and 16% admit to having a low or non-existent to have level.
Yet 53% say they are not looking for another job; 49% say good things about the company they work for; 48% recommend it to friends and family; and 47% are even proud of their employer, “wearing their shirt on purpose”.
The analysis shows that half of those interviewed say they feel “very happy” in their workplace, with more satisfaction with leadership and work arrangements than with benefits (40%), income (39%) or flexibility (38%) .
The study was conducted between July and September last year, but has only now been released, and included surveys of citizens in the national territory and French companies in Portugal.
Teresa Costa is a journalist for Dinheiro Vivo
Source: DN
