What's the secret to job satisfaction?

Survey reveals top factors contributing to job satisfaction in Australia

What's the secret to job satisfaction?

Work-life balance has emerged as the top factor contributing to job satisfaction in the workplace, according to a new report from Compare the Market.

The factor was cited by 15% of the report's 3,000 respondents, which included 1,001 participants from Australia.

Other factors contributing to job satisfaction include:

  • Positive difference to others (13.2%)
  • Well paid (13.1%)
  • Respected and appreciated by others (13.1%)
  • Great location (12.9%)

Overall, 62.9% of the respondents said they are currently happy at their current job. By role, business owners said they were the most satisfied with their current roles.

 

Source: Compare the Market

In Australia, business owners (90.9%) were also the most satisfied individuals with their roles. They are followed by those in senior management (81.8%) and accounting roles (71.4%).

"Most workers are happy at their current job and prioritised a good work-life balance than good pay," said Adrian Taylor, Compare the Market's Executive General Manager of General Insurance, in a statement.

Least satisfying jobs

On the other hand, 6.3% of the global respondents said they were unhappy with their current role, while 30.8% said they felt neutral about it.

Source: Compare the Market

In Australia, the roles most perceived as unsatisfactory were analytics (27.3%), administrative (13.6%), and finance (13.6%).

"Dissatisfied employees typically exhibit less safe work behaviours. Therefore, public liability insurance is one of the most important considerations for businesses to potentially help avoid crippling losses in the event of an accident involving a third party," Taylor said.

Considering new jobs

Meanwhile, the report also uncovered that high satisfaction does not immediately mean employees will stay in their jobs.

This is the case for those in senior management roles, who have the highest job satisfaction rates among other occupations. Despite this, 71.9% of employees in this role said they are actively considering changing jobs.

Source: Compare the Market

The report garnered over 3,000 respondents, including 1,001 participants from Australia, 1,001 Americans, and 1,000 Canadians.