More than 100,000 Kiwis have reported that they are not satisfied at work
Workers who were dissatisfied with their job reported lower overall satisfaction with life, poorer health outcomes, and felt their life was less worthwhile than satisfied workers, according to new research by Stats NZ.
Released yesterday, The Survey of working life 2018, conducted between October and December 2018, asked employed people about their work arrangements, employment conditions, and satisfaction with their job and work-life balance.
While most people were satisfied with their job, 4.3% of workers, or about 113,000 people, were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their main job.
Labour market statistics manager Scott Ussher said that although the proportion of Kiwis who were dissatisfied with their job is relatively small, the number of dissatisfied workers is similar to the number of unemployed, and the negative impact on their wellbeing may be just as significant.
“Having a job can boost a person’s wellbeing, while unemployment tends to have the opposite effect. However, the quality of the jobs people do and how satisfied they are with them are also crucial factors,” said Ussher.
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In particular, a lack of job security, low levels of autonomy, poor workplace relationships, and high levels of work-related stress are some of the job-related factors that were more evident in those who were dissatisfied.
Recent results from the General Social Survey 2018 also showed that people who were dissatisfied with their job had life satisfaction and life worthwhile scores that were similar to those who were unemployed.
Those who were satisfied with their jobs, however, scored significantly higher.
Additionally, poorer overall health status and mental wellbeing were also more prevalent among dissatisfied workers.
The figures by Stats NZ are consistent with what working people have told the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU) in their own survey, according to the NZCTU Policy Director Dr Bill Rosenberg.
That is, that a significant group of working Kiwis are dissatisfied at work and that having good jobs is fundamental to people’s wellbeing,
"The Government’s own figures show that over 100,000 New Zealanders are not satisfied at work,” said Rosenberg.
"We know that some of the main ways that work leads to dissatisfaction are, a lack of work life balance, security of work, lack of control over your work, poor workplace relationships, and high levels of work-related stress.
“Our own survey showed that people are concerned about workload, access to training/professional development, and hours of work (for some too many and for others too few).
“We know that most of these areas of dissatisfaction could be addressed by the Government implementing Fair Pay Agreements."
