Staff profile in Macedonian social care institutions

In most of the institution staff is in a greater degree female (ratios from 1: 2 to 1: 5). There are however few institutions for youth in conflict with law and Topansko Pole with a gender balance in staff. The staff in most institutions is relatively old, exception is the old age home in Berovo, which was established only recently. Demir Kapija and Ranka Milanović seem to have a slightly younger composition of staff. This is shown also in the next table in the average employment, where employment in these institutions is on average shorter. Long employment and age may, but not as a rule, imply certain degree of conservatism, but also means that it is staff with a lot of experience.

Mostly the fluctuation of workforce in institutions is (moderate) around 15 %, with equal numbers of staff leaving and entering the job.[1] However, there are some extreme occurrences in Demir Kapija, Zlokućani and 25. Maj institutions. In the 25. Maj institution half of the staff changed. In this institution, there was an even exit and entrance. This was not the case in Zlokućani and Demir Kapija where 50 % of present staff has left the job, which was not compensated by new employment. In Zlokućani institution, which has small number of staff anyway, this may be attributed to the regulation on ‘no new employment’ in the period of elections – as it is the case in infants home of Bitola, where they had been waiting to fill missing employment after the election. Even if this may be partially the case also in Demir Kapija, the difference in number cannot be explained only this factor. There the downsizing of the staff is probably consequence of notion that it is appropriate not to have new employment since the institution is in the process of deinstitutionalisation.[2]

In some institutions, there is an extreme rate of absenteeism. Absenteeism is a rule in children institutions (which are small but have good resident staff ratios). In institution for adult this rate is considerably smaller, which to participants of the camp in Demir Kapija is a surprise, since there was a lot of talking about difficulties in organising work because of supposedly endemic absenteeism. Maybe this the impression is based on few extreme cases (that are recorded and had a lot of attention) or the absenteeism is endemic to all of the institutions (this has to be checked with some comparable data in the country).

Mostly staff live in vicinity of institution and the daily mobility is very low. Exception are Banja Bansko and Zafir Sajto (Kumanovo) where most of staff commutes daily from neighbouring settlements. We assume that among commuters there are more professionals (e.g. in Demir Kapija). In Demir Kapija, part of the staff would not mind to change their location of work or some would even be happy to do so since some of their family works elsewhere, but in general, the staff is against such arrangement.[3]

Average salaries range from 19.450 MKD to 14.524 depending on the profile of staff, which in some institutions consist of greater numbers of professional staff with higher salaries and in some with a great portion of staff of low professional profile (care workers). There is quite a variance in average and highest salaries across the institutions. Skopje institutions have average salaries over 18.000 while other have around 15.000 (with exception of Kumanovo). The lowest salaries seem to be around either 12.000 or 10.500 MKD regardless geographic position.

A half of staff in institutions are of caring and nursing profile. Other half, split into two equal quarters are professional and auxiliary staff (administrative and technical). Among professionals, dominant professions are teachers and educators (46 % of all professional staff), special educators (15 %) and social workers (20 %). However, the number of social workers in individual institutions is usually one or two, but they are present in all institutions, also in private homes. Special educators are however, concentrated in the institutions that accommodate residents with (intellectual) disabilities. Teachers and educators are concentrated in the children institutions.

Health and care staff are concentrated in old age homes (geronto housekeepers[4]) and in institutions for people with disabilities. There is little of this profile of staff in the children institutions, except a substantial number of nurses in the infants’ home.

There is a relatively big number of auxiliary staff (administrative and maintenance[5]). While administrative staff does not have much contact with residents, the maintenance staff does so on the daily basis, and they can be sometimes considered as important support workers (there is thin line between a cleaner and ‘geronto housekeeper’).

Claimer: This blog is intended as a part of Situation Analysis and Assessment/ Evaluation Report of Implementation of National Strategy on Deinstitutionalisation 2008–2018 which will be soon presented to the public within the EU framework project Technical assistance support for the deinstitutionalization process in social sector. For this blog Vlado Krstovski, Andreja Rafaelič and Kalia Popovska are considered to be co-authors.

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[1] This is shown in the median measures, the mean measures show different picture. However there is the contribution of extreme occurrences – the difference between intake and outflow of staff can be attributed to dig downsizing in Demir Kapija and loss of staff in Zlokućani and Bitola. On the other size the impact of downsizing is accommodated by new employments in the new institution in Berovo and small rise of employment in some other institutions.

[2] This would be appropriate policy if the deinstitutionalisation process in Demir Kapija would be seen as substitution, if the model of transformation would be conversion such thinking would be wrong. In any case, even if such downsizing is not motivated by the idea of deinstitutionalisation, for the staff this is an alarming omen and causes the resistance to deinstitutionalisation.

[3] Not only because traveling would be time consuming but also because general trend seems to be that employers do not pay travel to work expenses.

[4] Auxiliary staff employed in old age care providing care combined with housework.

[5] Although many managers complain that, the number of cleaners is not sufficient.