Work ethic in formerly socialist economies

•Are generational differences in work ethic evident among employees in formerly socialist economies?•We use a composite work ethic measure and data collected from employees in six transition economies.•We find older generation workers adhere less strongly than young generation workers.•Work ethic is stronger among men, supervisors, and individuals with an internal locus of control.•Earnings are 15% higher among employees with strong work ethic. Do younger workers in transition economies have a different work ethic from those who were trained and employed in the former socialist economy? Is there a positive link between work ethic and earnings among workers in transition economies? We address these questions using data collected from employee surveys conducted in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Serbia. Employing a composite measure, we find that younger workers tend to adhere more strongly, and older workers less strongly. This result is obtained in the majority of cases for the individual work ethic components, as well. We also find work ethic adherence is stronger among men than women, among supervisors, and among participants who exhibit an internal locus of control. The link between work ethic and earnings is positive: participants who scored highest on the work ethic measure earn 15% more than those who scored lowest. Commonalities across these six culturally and economically diverse countries provide a foundation for developing a more global perspective of work ethic and worker performance.