News South Asia

Indian workers among most satisfied: Survey

One in five people in India loves his job so much that he would work for free, says an international survey by online career and recruitment firm Monster India and GfK, an independent global market research company.
 
According to the survey, 55 per cent of workers in India love or like their jobs — placing India third in international happiness rankings, behind Canada (64 per cent) and the Netherlands (57 per cent). The survey noted that only five per cent of Indian workers admit they actively dislike their jobs and no Indian said he hated his job — the lowest percentage of all countries surveyed.
 
India’s younger workers are most likely to be happy at work, with 72 per cent of workers aged between 18 and 24 reporting they like or love their jobs.
 
The survey notes that Indians are happier in the initial years of their career; they become less happy as they progress in their career.
 
“The research findings are a reflection of the prevailing business scenario and employee/worker mindset, where they want to be safe and not take any risks. At Monster, we believe in the philosophy — ‘there is always a better opportunity out there’ and Monster can be the bridge to reach that opportunity,” said Sanjay Modi, managing director (India, Middle East and Southeast Asia) at Monster.com.
 
The survey also looked at the split in happiness at work by income, revealing it is medium-level earners, rather than those with huge salaries, who are happiest at work. Three in five (60 per cent) of those on middle incomes say they like or love their job, compared to just over half (52 per cent) of high earners. The lowest earners are the least content; with less than half (47 per cent) saying they are happy at work.
 
“It’s said that money can’t buy you happiness. There are many variables to job satisfaction — and the size of your pay cheque is only one aspect. It’s positive to see that so many workers enjoy their jobs regardless of salary, but there are still a third who like their jobs only ‘well enough for now’,” added Modi.
 
The study reveals how seven countries rank in terms of the number of workers who say they either love or like their job a lot.
 
Surveying a little over 8,000 people in Canada, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, the UK and the US, the survey was conducted using GfK’s GLOBOBUS, a monthly global omnibus study. The total sample size of the study was 1,016.
 
INDIAN RESPONSES
 
The international survey polled more than 8,000 workers in Canada, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, the UK and the US, asking the question: “Which of the following best describes how much you love your current job?” The following responses were received in India:
 
* 18% Love it – would do it for free
 
* 37% Like it a lot – I enjoy what I do, but I could like it more
 
* 33% Like it – I like it well enough for now
 
* 5% Don’t like it – I think I could do better
 
* 0% Hate it – but it is a necessary evil
 
* 8% Did not answer