The Level of Well-being of the Working Population as a Concentrated Expression of the Quality of Working Life

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to substantiate the need and the possibility of improving the quality of working life in Russia as one of the main factors in the growth of the well-being of the working population. The author examined the influence of the conditions of employment of the workforce in the process of its reproduction and proved that the wage index (among all components of the quality of working life) has particular importance. The author also presented the tools of expert assessment of the quality of working life from the point of view of the achieved level of wages. Using these tools the author compiled a generalised characteristic of the current state of the quality of working life in Russia according to four criteria in terms of the achieved level of wages necessary to perform the reproductive function. Comparative analysis of the dynamics of nominal and real wages in the Russian economy for the years 2000–2018 showed a significant, long-term lag between growth of real and nominal wages. Further, the author showed the profile of Russian poverty concerning the main components of the quality of working life and presented the social and economic consequences of not decreasing poverty. Finally, the author constructs a set of socio-economic indicators of the standard of living of the working population due to the low level of satisfaction of the needs of workers and their families in nutrition, education, health, related to the deficit of family budgets. It makes possible to choose the main directions of the formation and implementation of the state and corporate social policy to overcome the negative trends in the level and quality of life of the working population associated with low quality of working life.