Job satisfaction among public sector extension personnel in the smallholder rubber sector Special focus on the Moneragala District of Sri Lanka

Abstract

The development and dissemination of new technologies on rubber farming are essential for the development of the smallholder rubber sector in Moneragala by the public extension services. Rubber Extension Officers (REOs) and Rubber Development Officers (RDOs) are the key public sector Extension Personal (EP) attached to the Advisory Services Department which is the extension arm of the Rubber Research Institute of Sri Lanka and Rubber Development Department, respectively at the grass-root level in Moneragala. Both REOs and RDOs coordinate and conduct extension activities to achieve national rubber production targets according to the rubber master plan. This study aims to assess the Job Satisfaction (JS) of EP. Data were collected from 35 EP in 2020, using a structured questionnaire. JS and its features were measured using a five-point attitude scale. The respondents were separated into three groups of JS viz. low, medium and high based on their JS by using the confidence interval method and the EP were categorized as follows; Low JS Group (LJSG), Medium JS Group (MJSG) and High JS Group (HJSG). Descriptive statistics and Spearman’s correlation analysis were employed in the methodology. A greater proportion (50%) of the EP was found in LJSG whilst 20% were found in HJSG. MJSG consists of 30% of the EP. The study sample represented 95% male EP. The age of extension personnel ranged from 25 to 53 years and the majority (38%) were in the 46-55 years category. Opportunities for growth and promotion (r=0.6463), work experience (r=0.5652), mode of travelling (motor bicycles) (r=0.3671), compensation (salary and incentives) (r= 0.8852) and working hours (r=0.6854) were positively correlated with the JS, while age (r=-0.1562), work environment/safety (r=-0.1462) and target achievements (r=-0.1468) were negatively correlated with the JS. These findings will help the policymakers for the boosting of JS of EP and it will improve the performance of the rubber sector in Moneragala.