Most Canadians satisfied with work: StatCan

Canadians, in general, have a high level of job satisfaction, according to a recent report from Statistics Canada (StatCan).

Overall, 80% of workers rated their level of satisfaction from 7 to 10, with 7.7 out of 10 being the average level of satisfaction.

“As an indicator featured in Canada’s Quality of Life Framework, job satisfaction has a relationship with one’s level of life satisfaction, sense of meaning and purpose, social cohesion, mental health, financial well-being, and productivity,” said StatCan.

In comparison, only 22% of workers worldwide were satisfied with their jobs in 2023, according to a previous report.

What jobs are people most satisfied with?

According to StatCan’s survey of Labour Force Survey (LFS) respondents, Canadian workers who reported some of the highest average levels of job satisfaction were those working in,:

• sports (8.9 out of 10)
• middle management occupations in production and agriculture (8.5 out of 10)
• technical equipment operation (8.5 out of 10)
• legislative and senior management occupations (8.5 out of 10)

Meanwhile, workers in the following fields reported lower levels of job satisfaction:

• mail and message distribution occupations (6.9 out of 10)
• transport drivers, operators and labourers (7.0 out of 10)
• cashiers, service station attendants and similar occupations (7.1 out of 10)
• Nurses and allied health professionals, as well as workers in assisting occupations in support of health services (including nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates) (7.4 out of 10)

“Wage growth among nurses has lagged behind the national average in recent years, and nurses were particularly likely to have experienced higher levels of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic,” noted StatCan.

At the occupational level, average levels of satisfaction ranged from 6.9 out of 10 to 8.9 out of 10 in October 2023.

Self-employed workers (8.1 out of 10) were also more likely to be satisfied with their job compared with both private sector (7.7 out of 10) and public sector (7.7 out of 10) employees. Self-employed workers with employees were more satisfied with their jobs on average (8.5 out of 10) than self-employed workers without employees (7.9 out of 10).

Workers who were working part-time involuntarily had lower average levels of satisfaction (6.8 out of 10) in October 2023 compared with other part-time workers (7.7 out of 10).

On average, levels of satisfaction ranged from 7.4 out of 10 among employees with weekly earnings in the bottom 10% to 8.0 out of 10 among those with earnings in the top 10%.

In October 2023, almost 1 in 10 Canadians (9.3%) were living in a household that found it very difficult to meet their financial needs in terms of housing, transportation, food, clothing and other necessary expenses within the previous month. 

For employees living in a household facing such challenges, their average level of job satisfaction was 6.9 out of 10, compared with 8.1 out of 10 among those who lived in a household that found it very easy to meet its financial needs.

How do you increase worker satisfaction?

Workers feel that mutual empathy between company leaders and employees leads to increased job satisfaction, according to a previous EY report.

Here are some other ways to improve workers’ job satisfaction, according to Indeed:

1. Research what employees want.
2. Ensure employees get respect.
3. Review pay and benefits packages.
4. Enhance job security.
5. Create opportunities for employees to use and develop relevant skills.
6. Improve relationships with immediate supervisors.
7. Demonstrate organizational stability.
8. Recognize job performance.
9. Prioritize corporate social responsibility.
10. Welcome ideas from all employees.
11. Create an inviting workspace.