Survey shows rise in job satisfaction

A survey of over 1,000 workers in Ireland has revealed a significant increase in job satisfaction levels from last year.

The survey was carried out by Recruitireland.com to assess job satisfaction levels in the work place.

Job satisfaction rose to 70% from 61% in 2006, but 54% of workers plan to change their jobs in the next 12 twelve months regardless of whether they are happy in their jobs or not.

It would also appear that many Irish workers are working too hard with 1-in-3 claiming to be overworked and 1-in-2 reporting that their job does not hold sufficient challenges to keep them happy in their work.

Commenting on the results, Emma Henry of RecruitIreland.com said: "The fact that 70% of workers are happy in their job is very positive news, however this still amounts to almost a third of the working population feeling dissatisfied with their jobs.

"In addition, the survey reveals that 61% believe that it would be difficult to find a new job.

"People’s perception of the job market appears to have become quite negative which may be due to recent announcements of high profile job losses and public statements about a downturn in the economy.

"However, the number of jobs being posted on our website has increased compared to last year which should help to reassure workers that there are still plenty of jobs out there."

When asked what would be the main reason for changing jobs, the number one influencing factor is career progression, with other important considerations being proximity to home - showing that the stressful commute is still a major issue for workers - an increase in pay, flexible working hours and family commitments.

Up to 42% of respondents reported that they had, at some point, felt bullied in the work place.

Out of those who felt bullied, 45% said it was from a colleague with only 33% saying they felt bullied by a manager.

A shocking 10% revealed they felt bullied in the work place on a regular basis.

When people start looking for jobs the overwhelming majority ranked recruitment sites as their first preference, ranked in second were recruitment agents, third were newspapers and finally people revert to their network of friends and family as a last resort to help them find the perfect job.