ECONOMIC OWNERSHIP AND WORKERS PERCEPTIONS OF THE WORKPLACE - AN EXPLORATORY-STUDY OF MANUFACTURING WORKERS IN SHANGHAI

The Chinese urban economy has undergone substantial transformation sin ce the industrial reforms in 1984. This article seeks to understand th e impact of economic reforms on the institutional settings of the work place, as seen from the workers' perspective, and their subsequent inf luence on workers' well-being, as indicated by job satisfaction. Data were collected from a 1996 survey of 300 urban workers in Shanghai, wh o were engaged in six organizations, including two state enterprises, two joint ventures and two private enterprises. Findings show that des pite the long hours and relatively low income, workers in private ente rprises report the most optimistic outlook for themselves in the organ ization as well as for the future development of the organization, and the highest level of job satisfaction. After controlling for the soci odemographic characteristics of workers and types of economic ownershi p, expectations for the future development of the organization is foun d to be the most significant predictor for job satisfaction. Implicati ons of the findings are discussed.