A survey by jobseeker portal MojPosao shows that 86% of employees in Croatia expect an average Christmas bonus of €465. This is 31% more than last year, with the highest expectations among employees in state-owned companies.

More than 1,000 respondents took part in the survey, MojPosao announced on Thursday.

Fourteen per cent of respondents who do not expect a Christmas bonus cited company policies or weaker business results as the main reasons.

Discrepancy between expectations and actual payments

Of the employees who “expect” a Christmas bonus, 92% expect a cash payment of €465 on average, an increase of 31% on last year’s average of €354.

Employees’ expectations are often too high, says MojPosao. Before the introduction of the euro, employees’ predictions about Christmas bonuses were fairly accurate. Last year, however, there was a considerable discrepancy between expectations and actual payments.

As in previous years, shopping vouchers and gift packages are among the less popular forms of Christmas bonuses. Twenty per cent of respondents expect to receive shopping vouchers, while 9% believe they will receive a gift package from their employer.

Christmas bonuses are most secure for employees in state-owned companies and public institutions. 95% of employees in state-owned companies and 98% in public organisations expect it.

Expectations range around €400 and more

Employees in public organisations estimate that they will receive an average of €390, while employees in state-owned companies expect to receive €436.

Employees of foreign-owned private companies expect an average payout of €499, but only 85% of them expect a Christmas bonus.

The least hope for Christmas bonuses is among employees of domestically owned private companies, with 84% of respondents expecting one, with an average amount of €476.

In large companies, 91% of employees expect a Christmas bonus of €470 on average.

In medium-sized and small companies, 80% of employees expect a Christmas bonus, with an average amount of € 460 in medium-sized companies and € 462 in small companies.