[jazzyk]

As sibling comments are pointing out - the jobs are not for life anymore (and the tenure is getting shorter).

But there are 3 other aspects, specific to your location/economic system, which do not apply (and mostly never applied) in the US/West:

- people did not move around the country for jobs like they do in the US

- salaries in Eastern Europe/USSR were public and the same for the same position/responsibility.

- bosses' salaries were perhaps 30% higher (certainly not 300+% higher, so everyone was in the same socio-economic class, facilitating camaraderie

[mojuba]

Very true. So basically things that are good for the economy - labour mobility, flexibility in salaries, etc - are not good for friendship building. It's either or.