WORKERS FEEL SENSE OF SECURITY : SURVEY REFLECTS POSITIVE VIEW OF STATE'S ECONOMY.Byline: Dennis Love Daily News Staff Writer If perception foreshadows reality, then there is good news in a far-reaching Field Institute survey of 2,310 Californians that reveals a surprisingly upbeat view of the state's economy and of their own financial futures financial futures Obligations to buy or sell particular positions in financial instruments. The features of financial futures are identical to those of any futures contract except that the asset for delivery is of a financial nature. . No one is saying California is out of the recessionary woods. The poll found plenty of concerns about workplace and health issues. Yet the survey released today reports that: Sixty-seven percent of the respondents said they are ``very secure'' or ``somewhat secure'' economically. Forty percent said it is ``very likely'' or ``somewhat likely'' they will be promoted and have a large increase in pay during the coming year. Latinos, the fastest-growing segment of the population, expressed a generally bullish Bullish Word used to describe an investor's attitude. Bullish refers to an optimistic outlook, while bearish means a pessimistic outlook. bullish attitude about the years ahead. Even in bruised bruise v. bruised, bruis·ing, bruis·es v.tr. 1. a. To injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of (part of the body) without breaking the skin, as by a blow. b. and battered bat·ter 1 v. bat·tered, bat·ter·ing, bat·ters v.tr. 1. To hit heavily and repeatedly with violent blows. 2. To subject to repeated beatings or physical abuse. 3. Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County, where the state's recession has taken its greatest toll, a significant degree of optimism was detected. With some exceptions, results in Los Angeles County mirrored the findings in California as a whole. ``I don't think there is any question that there is a general feeling that things are better,'' said Mike Manzo, a 41-year-old North Hills financial officer who participated in the survey. ``I think most people feel some sort of corner has been turned. I know I do.'' ``The optimism was notable,'' said Mark DiCamillo, vice president and research director for San Francisco-based Field Research Corp. ``The Bay Area still leads in terms of the economic recovery, but the L.A. County poll numbers, in terms of perceptions about job potential and the like, are very close to those reported in Northern California Northern California, sometimes referred to as NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The region contains the San Francisco Bay Area, the state capital, Sacramento; as well as the substantial natural beauty of the redwood forests, the northern .'' The reason, at least in part, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. DiCamillo: Los Angeles County's figures likely were influenced by two major demographic groups - Latinos and workers in the 20-40 age range. He said both groups are inclined to view their jobs with more optimism than the typical respondent. DiCamillo said that Latinos in a cultural sense tend to associate self-esteem with employment, while people 20 to 40 usually are still on an upward career track and see their circumstances as likely to improve. Thirty-five percent of the poll responses in L.A. County came from Latinos, compared with 26 percent statewide. Residents 18 through 39 years old were 52 percent of the total sample in L.A. County, compared with 49 percent statewide. Nevertheless, the continuing struggle for job security, especially in Los Angeles, emerged when respondents were asked when they last lost a job. Twelve percent of L.A. County respondents said it happened to them within the past year, compared with 9 percent statewide. Fully 25 percent of respondents in L.A. County and statewide said they had lost a job during the past five years. Also, the survey found that 25 percent of working respondents in L.A. County and 22 percent statewide are not covered not covered Health care adjective Referring to a procedure, test or other health service to which a policy holder or insurance beneficiary is not entitled under the terms of the policy or payment system–eg, Medicare. Cf Covered. by any form of medical insurance. Thirty-eight percent of employed Latinos are not covered. Yet even when given a specific opportunity to complain about their jobs - virtually a national pastime, especially in relentlessly self-analytical California - a sizable siz·a·ble also size·a·ble adj. Of considerable size; fairly large. siz  a·ble·ness n. number of respondents refused to
take the bait. The survey found a high degree of job satisfaction.
Forty-nine percent said they are ``very satisfied'' with their jobs, while an additional 38 percent statewide - 36 percent in Los Angeles County - said they are ``somewhat satisfied.'' Only 3 percent of respondents statewide described themselves as ``very dissatisfied'' with their jobs. When asked how they perceive the changes taking place in the workplace, 40 percent think they are ``fundamentally different from anything that has taken place before,'' while 51 percent believe they are similar to other ``adjustments that have occurred from time to time in the past.'' Most of those changes involve downsizing (1) Converting mainframe and mini-based systems to client/server LANs. (2) To reduce equipment and associated costs by switching to a less-expensive system. (jargon) downsizing and technology, two factors that have had a hurricane-force impact, particularly in Southern California's aerospace and defense industries. Standard government statistics continue to depict a generally thriving California workplace. More than 14 million Californians now hold jobs, and only 7.1 percent of people in the labor market labor market A place where labor is exchanged for wages; an LM is defined by geography, education and technical expertise, occupation, licensure or certification requirements, and job experience are unemployed, down significantly from recent years. According to the poll, the manufacturing sector remains L.A. County's largest employer, with 19 percent of respondents employed in that area (15 percent statewide). Professional services (job) professional services - A department of a supplier providing consultancy and programming manpower for the supplier's products. other than health care were next with 14 percent (15 percent statewide), followed by three sectors - health care, government and education - which each employ 8 percent. The poll also queried respondents about their working conditions, the effects of their jobs on physical and mental health, and other health-related issues. Eighty-eight percent said their jobs require them to ``learn new things,'' an indicator of positive creative stimulation in the workplace. Eighty-two percent statewide (80 percent in L.A. County) said their jobs allow lots of decision-making. Seventy-six percent statewide said they ``have enough time to get the job done.'' On the other hand, 31 percent in L.A. County (28 percent statewide) said they have ``very little freedom to decide how I do my work,'' while 38 percent (39 percent statewide) said their jobs require ``working very fast without having breaks.'' On ``decision latitude'' - a term used to summarize sum·ma·rize intr. & tr.v. sum·ma·rized, sum·ma·riz·ing, sum·ma·riz·es To make a summary or make a summary of. sum several different facets of freedom of expression in the workplace, generally associated with happier, healthier employees - the verdict was split. Statewide and in L.A. County, 47 percent said they have ``high decision latitude latitude, angular distance of any point on the surface of the earth north or south of the equator. The equator is latitude 0°, and the North Pole and South Pole are latitudes 90°N and 90°S, respectively. ,'' while 51 percent statewide and 52 percent in L.A. County reported ``low decision latitude.'' Eighty percent of respondents statewide and 81 percent in L.A. County said their jobs have a ``very positive'' or ``somewhat positive effect'' on their physical and mental health. Fourteen percent in both samples said work had a ``somewhat negative'' effect, while only 3 percent complained of a very negative effect. On general health matters, 20 percent of respondents said they smoke cigarettes, while 64 percent in L.A. County (63 percent statewide) said they drink alcoholic beverages
Twenty-three percent in L.A. County (22 percent statewide) said their jobs prompt serious back pain. A slightly higher number of Latinos (27 percent) reported serious, work-related back pain. Latinos, in general, brought an optimistic op·ti·mist n. 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome. 2. A believer in philosophical optimism. op tone to the Field study, although their work is subject to greater economic volatility, they tend to lack health insurance and they encounter more work-related problems. More than one in four Latinos employed full time live in households with an annual income at or below 125 percent of poverty level. This is nearly triple the 10 percent rate reported by all full-time workers in the state. Still, 46 percent of Latinos reported being better off than a year ago, compared with 42 percent overall. Fifty percent of Latinos and 42 percent of all respondents believe they will be better off a year from now. Optimism about the future ``is one of the defining characteristics'' of Latinos, said Guillermo Rodriguez, executive director of the Latino Issues Forum in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden . ``This optimism exists despite their economic and social realities of working for comparatively low-wage jobs.'' About this series This is the first in a three-day series based on a statewide survey, ``The Work and Health of Californians.'' The telephone survey was conducted among 2,310 Californians by The Field Institute July 9-31. The sample was developed using random digit dialing Random digit dialing (RDD) is a method for selecting people for involvement in telephone statistical surveys by generating telephone numbers at random. Random digit dialing has the advantage that it includes unlisted numbers that would be missed if the numbers were selected from a methods, which give all adults with telephones an equal chance of being selected for the survey. Margin-of-error estimates are plus or minus 2 percentage points. The survey was conducted for the Future of Work and Health, a California program that promotes work-related opportunities for better health. The project was co-sponsored by the HealthCare Forum, the Institute for the Future, and the Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California, San Francisco . It was funded through a $190,000 grant from the California Wellness Foundation, a nonprofit A corporation or an association that conducts business for the benefit of the general public without shareholders and without a profit motive. Nonprofits are also called not-for-profit corporations. Nonprofit corporations are created according to state law. group created in 1991 after Health Net converted to a for-profit company. State regulators required the Woodland Hills company to endow en·dow tr.v. en·dowed, en·dow·ing, en·dows 1. To provide with property, income, or a source of income. 2. a. the foundation with $300 million and about 80 percent of Health Net's stock. CAPTION(S): Box, 6 Charts Chart: (1-2) WORKPLACE WOES WOES Warrant Officer Education System WOES West Orchard Elementary School Nearly half of the Cali fornia Workers surveyed said they were troubled by job-related problems. More than Half said they had health concerns. (1) Job-related problems at work: 46% No problems: 54% (2) Health-related Problems at work: 53% No Problems: 47% (3) MY JOB (4) BACKGROUND (5) HOUSEHOLD INCOME (6) PROMOTIONS Box: About this series (see text) |
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