“Job satisfaction” refers to the pleasure attached to an employee’s positive appraisal of his or her work. It can be a revealing indicator of current and future behavior on the job, influencing work performance, absenteeism, and turnover.
In the GOT study, we measured job satisfaction using 13 indicators drawn from two standardized scales2,3 and from research by the Sloan Center on Aging & Work. We asked employees to respond to 13 statements (one for each indicator) describing aspects of their work, using a scale ranging from one (strongly dissatisfied) to six (strongly satisfied). Averaging the scores yields a measure of job satisfaction, with one representing little satisfaction and six representing maximum satisfaction.
Controlling for demographic factors, job characteristics, and age-related factors, we find that job satisfaction is about the same for employees working in the young-developing countries and in the old-developed countries. However, job satisfaction does vary by age, career stage, and life stage.
Controlling for demographic factors and job characteristics only, we find that job satisfaction is highest among employees who are 50 and older (4.50 on our six-point scale) and nearly as high among those who are younger than 30 (4.47). Employees between the ages of 30 and 39 evidenced the least satisfaction with their jobs (4.38). Those between the ages of 40 and 49 were somewhat more satisfied at work (4.42).