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Average levels of job satisfaction in 27 European countries. Comparing raw scores and individual-level predictions from multilevel models Notes: JS Raw: raw scores for average country level of job satisfaction JS Predictions (ML-random): prediction scores from ML analysis controlling for individual effects and random parts. Difference between JS raw and JS prediction represent country differential. AT, Austria, BE, Belgium, BG, Bulgaria, CY, Cyprus, CZ, Czech Republic, DK, Denmark, EE, Estonia, FI, Finland, FR, France, DE, Germany, UK, United Kingdom, EL, Greece, HU, Hungary, IE, Ireland, IT, Italy, LV, Latvia, LT, Lithuania, LU, Luxembourg, MT, Malta, NL, Netherlands, PL, Poland, RO, Romania, SK, Slovakia, SI, Slovenia, ES, Spain, SE, Sweden, PT, Portugal. Source: EQLS (2003).
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This article looks at the determinants of job satisfaction in 27 European countries at both the individual and country level.
Individual determinants include type of occupation, supervision responsibilities, working hours, and the assessment of various
dimensions, such as intrinsic and extrinsic job characteristics. These factors already explain a...
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... In fact, the extant literature suggests that individual-level explanations of differences in job satisfaction tend to have higher explaining power than country-level or institutional-level factors (Gallie, 2007;Pichler & Wallace, 2009). Research elsewhere, for example, has shown the effect of a complex migration history on job and life satisfaction of domestic workers (Liao & Gan, 2020). ...
The prevailing argument regarding the quality of life of migrant domestic workers focuses on their vulnerabilities and the high risks of abuse, which ultimately have a detrimental impact on their well-being. However, there is a lack of quantitative evidence to support this argument. Using randomly sampled data from a large-scale survey of migrant domestic workers in Abu Dhabi, this study conducted hierarchical multiple regression to test for the direct effects of various predictors of life satisfaction of domestic workers. The results revealed a high level of life satisfaction among female migrant domestic workers, which was associated with physical and mental health, emotional well-being, and community identity, but not with job-related variables. Socializing with friends and having access to a social support network negatively affect life satisfaction.
... Among individual factors, gender is one of the main variables that helps to explain differences in self-assessed job satisfaction. Within Europe, gender gap differences in job satisfaction can be influenced by countrylevel institutional factors (Pichler and Wallace 2009) and by the nature of national welfare (Gallie 2007). Both aspects influence the conditions in which people work and live and therefore play an important role in shaping men's and women's opportunities for employment, education, childcare and many other indicators of gender equality. ...
... For instance, in the case of job satisfaction, it may be possible that an advanced education system can prepare a person of lower origin for a highly regarded future job similarly to how a privileged (parental) environment does for socially advantaged individuals (cf. Dinovitzer & Garth, 2007), which could positively influence levels of job satisfaction through the mechanisms of value orientations, aspiration, adaptation, and agency (Pichler & Wallace, 2009). To confirm or rebut such assumptions, we strongly recommend an assessment of the total origin effect (cf. observation 2.2). ...
In a business environment characterized by labor shortages, the under-utilization of existing potential is a problem for both companies and governments. Nevertheless, the development of people from disadvantaged social origin is limited. Research on the intergenerational transmission of social disadvantage consistently shows that access to higher education is still highly stratified. Less is known about whether origin-based inequalities persist or can be offset within the occupational context. Based on a systematic review of 59 studies, we identify the career success (CS) indicators that have been examined in this growing research literature, describe the various forms that the social origin–CS relationship can assume, and identify explanatory mechanisms for the discrepancies in the career trajectories of individuals from different social backgrounds. Based on a critical analysis of existing studies, we show that many areas of the above research themes remain underexplored, despite recent significant advancements, and provide directions for future research. This includes recommendations for the choice of indicators for measuring CS, including the determination of reference persons in future studies and for closing research gaps in previous research designs regarding the connection between social origin and CS. Moreover, we provide suggestions for taking into account further essential factors on an individual, organizational, and contextual level to explain the social origin−CS relationship.
... Compared to JOBCH, the job satisfaction (JOBSL) domain has less impact on overall QOL, which was determined by a set of subjective indicators about the working conditions and to what extent the individual is satisfied with their job and tasks assigned to him. However, paying attention to the JOBSL domain's indicators is important as it may give insights into what needs to be provided to enhance their working conditions and job satisfaction, and in turn the overall QOL, as many argue before (e.g., Ezzat & Ehab, 2019;Fabry et al., 2022;Lee, 2022;Pichler & Wallace, 2009;Rose et al., 2006;Viñas-Bardolet et al., 2020). Moreover, Drobnič et al., (2010) argue that good working conditions are the key element that in a straightforward manner affects people's quality of life, especially the issue of security, such as security of employment and pay which provides economic security. ...
... For instance, Wallace et al. (2007) examined the relation between job characteristics and overall level of life satisfaction, and they concluded that such relation is mediated by job satisfaction. Pichler and Wallace (2009) found significant relationships in the expected direction between objective indicators of working conditions of employees and overall job satisfaction, such as occupational class, type of contract, or supervision responsibilities, as well as between job satisfaction and subjective evaluations, for instance, job demands, autonomy, career prospects, or job security. Moreover, Viñas-Bardolet et al. (2020) analyzed the importance of working life on the subjective wellbeing of workers. ...
This paper aims to identify the major significant dimensions that contribute to the overall quality of life (QOL) of wage workers in Egypt. As the QOL is a complex, multidimensional, and interdisciplinary concept, forty-seven indicators under five domains were chosen to investigate the QOL determinants of wage workers in Egypt, namely job characteristics, job satisfaction, ICT access, gender equality and women empowerment, and neighborhood services and utilities. Using data from the 2018 wave of the Egypt Labor Market Panel Survey, the paper employed structural equation modelling (SEM) approach to investigate the impact of proposed dimensions on the overall QOL. In addition, multi-group SEM analysis was implemented to measure how people differ in the way they assess their QOL on the basis of various moderating variables such as the geographical region of residence, age group, and years of schooling. The findings showed the significant impact of the chosen dimensions on the overall QOL. Moreover, the multi-group models showed a significant variation among compared groups, in which the weights of dimensions vary due to the differences in socio-cultural characteristics and the surrounding environment, confirming the complexity of such a concept. As people usually differ in the way they assess their QOL, which is affected by their characteristics and priorities.
... Although adaptability at work is widely researched, little is known about it in Eastern Europe, and even less in Romania, a formerly communist country with a fascinating blend of Eastern and Western traditions, with consequences like mimicry, tolerance of diversity, and the coexistence of the opposites and the picturesque. The discrepancies between Romania's present situation and the situation of other European countries could be attributed to multiple differences in historical circumstances and a path-dependent continuity in the manner of working characteristic of the communist era (Heintz, 2001;Pichler & Wallace, 2009). According to David et al. (2015), Romanians have a high potential for cognitive/emotional intelligence, creativity, and learning, but it is not sufficiently capitalized. ...
This study aimed to validate the I-ADAPT scale to assess the individual adaptability to work within the Romanian population. Both a pilot study and a main study were conducted on a total sample of 966 Romanians. Following the application of standard scale validation procedures, the results of our study indicated that the I-ADAPT measure of work adaptability has good psychometric properties on the Romanian population. Our findings provide evidence that I-ADAPT continues to explain the unique variance in adaptability to work even if work patterns in the Covid-19 pandemic context moved more and more from a traditional to a virtual work environment. ROa I-ADAPT measure has excellent properties concerning convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity. One main finding was that the “Physical” dimension of adaptability to work had no empirical support in the Romanian population. Moreover, our results indicate that the “interpersonal adaptability” and the “cultural adaptability” dimensions cannot be empirically separated in the Romanian population. To our knowledge, this is the first validated instrument that can be used to assess the individual adaptability of Romanians in the context of work. Our study is relevant for decision-makers in Romania and such actors in other EU-member countries where Romanians represent the largest group of working-age EU citizens.
... Economists, sociologists, and psychologists investigate gender differences in job satisfaction. A branch of literature reveals a significant gender gap in job satisfaction and suggests that females are more satisfied with their jobs compared to males (Clark 1997;Gazioglu and Tansel 2006;Hauret and Williams 2017;Hodson 1989;Perugini and Vladisavljevic 2019;Pichler and Wallace 2009;Sousa-Poza and Sousa-Poza 2000b). This finding is referred to as the "genderjob satisfaction paradox" by researchers since females mostly face lower wages, worse job conditions, and fewer promotion opportunities on average (Green et al. 2018;Kaiser 2007;Perugini 12(2), [157][158][159][160][161][162][163][164]2023 and Vladisavljevic 2019; Pita and Torregrosa, 2021;Sousa-Poza and Sousa-Poza 2000b;Westover 2012) Hodson (1989) explains this observation by referring to the homemaker roles and job characteristics of women. ...
Gender differences in labour market outcomes are frequently reported. Earlier findings on associations of job satisfaction and gender reveal mixed results. Majority of empirical results indicate that women report higher levels of job satisfaction than men whereas others find no gender differences in job satisfaction. This study explores gender differences in job satisfaction by utilizing the Survey of Adult Skills for OECD countries. Employing the Balanced Worth Vector (BWV) procedure for data analysis, this study contributes to literature by presenting additional cross-national evidence from various regions of the world. Our findings reveal that there are heterogeneities in gender-gap paradox of job satisfaction across OECD countries.
... The causes of workers happiness, well-being, positive moods, and emotions are multifaceted. A host of diverse contextual, environmental, and job-related factors has been implicated in this relationship, including low noise levels [78], air pollution [79], positive behaviors of the supervisor [80], promotional opportunities, pay and benefits satisfaction, performance appraisal satisfaction, training, and workload [81], workplace health culture [82], employee involvement and participation [83], organizational climate [84], inclusive leadership [85], quality of work life [86], corporate volunteering activities [87], high-performance work systems [88], career success [89], work-life balance strategies [90], corporate social responsibility [91], organizational culture [92], organizational justice [93], organizational trust and organizational support [94], organizational benevolence [95], workplace relationships [96], type of occupation and working hours [97], person-job fit [98], job resources [99], job characteristics (viz., task significance, skill variety, task identity, feedback, autonomy) [100], and meaningful work [101]. ...
Happiness-life satisfaction, subjective well-being, or welfare-is generally considered the ultimate goal of life. Research shows that happiness correlates positively with various resources, desirable characteristics, and favorable life circumstances. Happiness can influence productivity, emotions, health, self-esteem, social skills, creativity, hope, or integrity. As such, happiness seems to affect how individuals may go about their personal and professional lives. As complex social systems rely on competencies, attitudes, and behaviors to fulfill their goals, happiness affects organizations and vice versa in different ways. Resilience, flexibility, plasticity, and eventually organizational toughness can all be seen as emerging coping properties of complex adaptive systems needed to continue meeting their objectives, despite uncertainty and adversity in turbulent periods. These properties are valuable because they account for enhancing the viability and sustainability of individuals and organizations. However, the conceptual mechanisms through which happiness at work connects to value creation and organizational toughness are in short supply. In this chapter, we provide a conceptual model for addressing this complex relationship.
... As a key factor affecting job satisfaction is work efficiency, most studies show that individual weekly work efficiency positively correlates with job satisfaction, and longer working hours are not conducive to accumulating job satisfaction [36]. Using the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS), Pichler and Wallace found that workers who were constantly under tight deadlines and low productivity had lower job satisfaction on average [37]; similarly, Lopes et al. found that workers who did not adequately complete their tasks had lower job satisfaction [38]. From the perspective of the information acquisition effect of the Internet, the Internet helps employees perform work tasks in a fast manner through high-speed information dissemination and effective communication; and from the perspective of the technology acquisition effect, the Internet as a powerful office tool can help workers increase productivity and quality of work, and the time saved allows employees to allocate more time to high-reward and interesting tasks, thereby increasing job satisfaction [37,39]. ...
... Using the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS), Pichler and Wallace found that workers who were constantly under tight deadlines and low productivity had lower job satisfaction on average [37]; similarly, Lopes et al. found that workers who did not adequately complete their tasks had lower job satisfaction [38]. From the perspective of the information acquisition effect of the Internet, the Internet helps employees perform work tasks in a fast manner through high-speed information dissemination and effective communication; and from the perspective of the technology acquisition effect, the Internet as a powerful office tool can help workers increase productivity and quality of work, and the time saved allows employees to allocate more time to high-reward and interesting tasks, thereby increasing job satisfaction [37,39]. ...
... As a key factor affecting job satisfaction is work efficiency, most studies show that individual weekly work efficiency positively correlates with job satisfaction, and longer working hours are not conducive to accumulating job satisfaction [36]. Using the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS), Pichler and Wallace found that workers who were constantly under tight deadlines and low productivity had lower job satisfaction on average [37]; similarly, Lopes et al. found that workers who did not adequately complete their tasks had lower job satisfaction [38]. From the perspective of the information acquisition effect of the Internet, the Internet helps employees perform work tasks in a fast manner through highspeed information dissemination and effective communication; and from the perspective of the technology acquisition effect, the Internet as a powerful office tool can help workers increase productivity and quality of work, and the time saved allows employees to allocate more time to high-reward and interesting tasks, thereby increasing job satisfaction [37,39]. ...
We explore the causal effects of Internet use on job satisfaction using a sample of 83,012 Chinese labor force members aged 16–64 years from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) from 2010 to 2018. We use ordered logistic estimation and find that Internet use significantly increases job satisfaction by 3.2%. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the Internet has a more positive impact on those who are in urban areas and have higher incomes and higher education. Our results are robust after eliminating endogeneity using instrumental variables and solving the self-selection problem using the PSM method. Our mechanistic analysis leads to similar conclusions to mainstream research, where Internet use induces job satisfaction by increasing time efficiency and enhancing job autonomy. Specifically, shorter working hours boosted job satisfaction by approximately 0.3%, while working in informal places boosted job satisfaction by 5.4%. Thus, employers may consider encouraging employees to access the Internet.
... Individuals with high professional status (legislators, senior officials, managers, high-level professionals) tend to work long hours, but they likely work along with colleagues, which fosters political interest and social connectedness; whereas persons with lower-status occupations (services/retail, crafts/trades and agriculture/fishery) tend to work alone or with less contact with others on the job. Moreover, higher-status professionals working long hours may not experience a lower incidence of poor mental health because their jobs offer both higher monetary and non-monetary rewards (job satisfaction, job control and autonomy) (Pichler and Wallace, 2009). Increased risk for ill health due to working long hours or unsociable schedules may be mitigated by more financial resources, enabling access to preventive and curative healthcare among high-status professionals. ...
Considering gender inequality in time as a resource for political participation and using Wave 5 of the European Social Survey data on 24 European countries, this study examines: (1) the relationship of both long working hours and unsociable work schedules to participation in national elections in Europe before or during 2010; (2) factors that may mediate this association; and (3) gender differences in this relationship and occupation-specific patterns. The findings show that both working more than 45 hours per week and working evenings, nights or weekends are associated with lower national electoral participation in women with both high and low occupational status. Among men with the lowest occupational status, working long hours is also linked to lower participation. These findings are robust against controlling for important confounders. Political interest seems to partially mediate the negative effect of unsociable work schedules on voting in women. Neither health nor social engagement plays a mediation role.
... Nevertheless, it is not clear whether temporary jobs have negative consequences for job satisfaction (Wilkin, 2013). In the last decades, a fair number of research articles have pointed to three possible outcomes in this regard: temporary workers are more satisfied with their work than permanent employees (Beckmann et al., 2007;De Cuyper and De Witte, 2005, 2007a, 2007bDe Cuyper et al., 2010;Mauno et al., 2005); temporary workers are as satisfied as permanent employees (Allen and Van der Velden, 2001;Bruno et al., 2014;D'Addio et al., 2007;De Cuyper and De Witte, 2006;De Cuyper et al., 2019;De Graaf-Zijl, 2005, 2012Green and Heywood, 2011;Guest et al., 2006); and temporary workers are less satisfied than permanent employees (Bardasi and Francesconi, 2004;Benavides et al., 2000;Chadi and Hetschko, 2016;Fabra and Camisón, 2009;Green and Tsitsianis, 2005;Kaiser, 2007;Pichler and Wallace, 2009). Job satisfaction is associated with subjective well-being and health (Bowling et al., 2010;Faragher et al., 2005), it predicts job quits (Böckerman and Ilmakunnas, 2009;Clark, 2001;Green, 2010), business outcomes (Harter et al., 2002) and productivity (Böckerman and Ilmakunnas, 2012). ...
The consequences of temporary jobs for job satisfaction are not clear. This article examines the effect of two crucial moderators in the association between temporary contracts and job satisfaction: the reason for being a temporary worker and the duration of temporary contracts. Using the ad-hoc module of the 2017 EU Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS), this study examines 27 European countries separately. Results show that involuntary temporary workers (those who wanted a permanent contract but could not find one) tend to be less satisfied than permanent employees. However, voluntary temporary workers (those who prefer temporary over permanent jobs) and temporary workers in apprenticeships or probation periods are generally as satisfied as permanent employees. Shorter contracts frequently exert negative effects on job satisfaction, but only among involuntary temporary workers. Results differ between countries: the differences between temporary and permanent workers are insignificant in Scandinavian countries but large in the post-Socialist states.
