ABSTRACT
In many Dutch work organizations—private industries as well as government institutions— systems of job evaluation (JE) are used for the majority of personnel. These systems are often seen as ways of establishing salary levels for a variety of different jobs. This qualification is understandable, but the core of job evaluation lies in the preceding procedures. Job evaluation scrutinizes the activities involved in a job and the work conditions usually associated with it. Usually, jobs are described first. These are then analysed in terms of particular characteristics (for example, the level of knowledge required) and during the process of grading, a value is given to each characteristic. Finally, jobs are ordered and categorized into groups and classes on the basis of their total value. Eventually salaries for each salary class are negotiated by employers, federations and unions of employees. Salary surveys can play a useful role in this process by showing the average salary paid and the distribution of salaries within a particular sector or group of jobs. In countries where Collective Labour Agreements apply, these agreements usually specify the starting and end salary in each class.
