Abstract
The objective of study was to identify and quantify key predictors of job satisfaction among civil engineers working in South African local municipalities. The design of study was cross-sectional, descriptive and evaluative. The study was conducted against the background of shortage of suitably qualified, adequately motivated and skilled civil engineers working in local municipalities. The degree of job satisfaction of respondents was assessed by using a composite index developed by Turkyilmaz, Akman, Ozkan and Pastuszak (2011) for conducting a similar study. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analyses were used in the study. As part of the quantitative aspect of study, data was collected from a stratified random sample of size 250 civil engineers working in various South African local municipalities. As part of the qualitative aspect of study, individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 37 civil engineers working in various local municipalities. Four focus group interviews were conducted as part of the study. Data was collected by using a structured, pretested and validated questionnaire of study. Quantitative data analyses were conducted by using methods such as frequency tables, cross-tab analyses (Pearson’s chi-square tests of associations) and binary logistic regression analysis. The results showed that 171 of the 250 respondents who took part in the study (68.40%) were satisfied with the job that they were performing in the various local municipalities, whereas the remaining 79 of the 250 respondents in the study (31.60%) were not satisfied with their jobs. Based on results obtained from cross-tab analyses at the 5% level of significance, the degree of job satisfaction of civil engineers at the workplace was significantly and adversely affected by too much workload, poor working conditions, lack of budget for construction projects, low salary and remuneration, lack of training opportunities, lack of cooperation and appreciation, too much bureaucracy and red tape, short duration of service, and poor relationship with supervisors, in a decreasing order of strength. Results obtained from binary logistic regression analysis showed that the degree of job satisfaction of civil engineers at the workplace was significantly and adversely affected by 3 factors. These 3 factors were too much workload, poor working conditions, and lack of budget for construction projects in a decreasing order of strength. Results obtained from individual and focus group in-depth interviews led to similar findings.
Highlights
Studies conducted by the South African Council for the Built Environment (2016), Alinaitwe, Apolot & Tindiwensi (2013), Watts & Charles (2015) and Barfield & Dingus (2014) have shown that civil engineers working for local municipalities on the construction and maintenance of public infrastructure perform optimally under circumstances in which there is sound leadership and adequate adherence to good corporate governance principles [1,2,3,4]
A report issued by the South African Institute of Civil Engineering (SAICE, 2015) shows that the acute shortage of civil engineers working in the public sector undermines the capacity of local municipalities to maintain and expand infrastructure in almost all local municipalities [7]
The study has found that civil engineering professionals working in South African local municipalities are working under difficult circumstances and little career-related incentives
Summary
Introduction and BackgroundStudies conducted by the South African Council for the Built Environment (2016), Alinaitwe, Apolot & Tindiwensi (2013), Watts & Charles (2015) and Barfield & Dingus (2014) have shown that civil engineers working for local municipalities on the construction and maintenance of public infrastructure perform optimally under circumstances in which there is sound leadership and adequate adherence to good corporate governance principles [1,2,3,4]. Patel and Baldry (2016) have pointed out that protests over municipal service delivery in almost all South African municipalities are a result of poor service quality, lack of good governance, lack of housing, lack of good leadership, failure to repair and maintain infrastructure, lack of technical, managerial and artisan skills and the abuse of power by elected officials. The regulatory functions carried out by the CBE are the identification of professional work, setting up guidelines on professional fees, ensuring continuous professional development (CPD), accreditation of built environment qualifications offered by universities, setting a code of conduct for the respective professions, overseeing professional registration standards, recognition of voluntary associations, recognition of new professions, international agreements, recognition of prior learning, generating and ensuring compliance with professional standards, overseeing appeals and tribunals and setting competency standards for registrations
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