Journal Article

Changing Levels of Job Satisfaction among Local Environmental Enforcement Officials in China

Lo, Carlos Wing-Hung, Tang, Shui-Yan, Wen, Bo

2020

Overview

As a result of multiple waves of administrative reforms in the past three decades, China’s civil service has become more professionalized. Yet public employees appear to have become increasingly dissatisfied in recent years. Based on questionnaire surveys and interviews with environmental enforcement officials in a southern city, this paper traces changes in the job satisfaction levels of these officials between 2000 and 2014. It shows that satisfaction with the extrinsic rewards received and overall job satisfaction declined during this period. These downward trends partly reflected the increasingly challenging institutional environments faced by the officials: rising political and societal demands, inadequate fiscal and personnel resources, and limited enforcement authority. In addition, as the officials became more highly educated and professionalized, mission match became a stronger antecedent of job satisfaction. These findings suggest the importance of meeting the motivational needs of a more professionalized workforce. 在过往的三十余年里，中国行政管理体制经历了数轮改革。其所带来的显著成果之一，便是公务员队伍整体专业化程度的提升。然而,伴随这一上升趋势的是似乎与之相左的另一现象：即公职人员近年来对自身工 作愈发地不满。通过对于G市各区环保局环境执法大队队员的问卷调查及深度访谈，此文管中窥豹，追踪中国公职人员在2000年至2014年间，工作满意度上的系统性变化。我们的调查结果显示，中国公务员对于自身工作，尤其是所获薪酬的满意程度，在这一时段显著下降。这般下行走势部分映射了中国公职人员目前所处于的极具挑战性的制度环境，包括：不断拔高的政治及社会性期望、相对匮乏的财政及人力资源、以及极其有限的执法权限和手段。此外，随着公职人员整体教育背景及专业性技能储 备的不断优化，“使命性匹配”这一要素对当下中国公职人员工作满意度的影响今非昔比。此文种种结论，最终旨在提醒相关决策者在设法提升公务员专业素质之余，需同时注重对其个体工作动机的掌握及满足。

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Subject: Accountability / Antecedents / Bureaucrats / Civil service / Economic reform / Employees / Employment interviews / Enforcement / Environmental management / Environmental protection / Job satisfaction / Leadership / Politics / Professionalism / Public officials / Questionnaires / Reforms / Rewards / Satisfaction / Teams / Workforce