Job satisfaction falling

As in every year, the respondents in the poll were asked to rate 16 factors affecting their job satisfaction. Of all the factors on the list, just one - opportunity to earn extra - was given a slightly higher rating than the year before, while the remaining 15 were given poorer scores.

A staggering two factors ended up in the ‘red’ with scores below 4 points: these were opportunity to earn extra and career opportunities.

The highest ratings were given to work location, work tools and equipment, and the team. The biggest drop in rating was observed in the following factors: the character of work and how exciting it is; the balance between work and rest; respect and microclimate; management; work distribution/allocation.

Job satisfaction is the highest among employees aged between 18 and 25. This was the only age group where job satisfaction has grown over the year. Employees in the age group of 55+ are the least satisfied with their jobs.

Since 2022, the biggest decline in job satisfaction, of -0.74 points, was observed in the age group of 26 to 35.

The following factors earned the highest scores across all age groups:

In the course of the year, the job satisfaction of men and women decreased at a very similar rate, yet, by contrast to men, women are generally less satisfied with their jobs. In 2024, women rated their job satisfaction at 5.86; men, at 5.96, compared to 6.16 and 6.25 the year before, respectively.

Compared to men, women gave better ratings to the work location and the character of work and how exciting it is. The biggest gap was observed in the following factors: respect and microclimate; opportunity to earn extra; motivation; balance between work and rest; team; and internal communication. Men’s ratings on those fronts were higher than those of women.

Last year, IT employees placed first in terms of their job satisfaction.

This year, the highest level of job satisfaction was reported among people employed in the field of electronics/telecommunications (8.55); media/public relations (6.86); marketing (6.43); organization/management (6.33); education (6.28); human resources (6.26); and IT (6.26).

The least satisfied with their jobs were people working in the following fields: industry/manufacturing (5.28); transportation/logistics (5.44); public administration (5.5); finances (5.52); construction (5.71); and security (5.71). In 2023, the lowest level of job satisfaction was reported by pharmaceutical employees.

Over the year, the biggest drop in job satisfaction was observed in the fields of public administration, finances, manufacturing, IT, and transportation.

Pay grade is another important factor determining job satisfaction. The least satisfied with their jobs are unskilled workers, assistants/administrative staffers, specialists, and skilled employees. Middle management and senior specialists express much more satisfaction with their jobs.

The number of employees unsatisfied with their salaries has gone up

In 2023, the share of employees who were not satisfied with their pay was 71%; this year, this has increased to 77%. However, the expectations of a more desirable salary have shifted downwards, with 26% of the respondents believing a raise would be in order, compared to 28% the year prior.

With job satisfaction on the decline, how are things with searching for a better job? 27% of employed respondents are actively looking for a new job, 57% are doing so passively (they are open to new offers but are not actively looking for work), and 16% say they are not looking for a new job.

The main reasons why people are not looking for a new job are the following:

By contrast, 79% of jobless respondents are actively looking for work (compared to 69% in 2023), with 18% of them doing so passively (22% in 2023), and 3% not looking for any work. In 2023, 9% of the jobless were not looking for work.

They are not searching for a job because they do not think this is the right time to get one. They are also limited in the search for work by their age and lack of marketable skills or experience, their available savings and social benefits.

CV-Online’s Job and Salary Satisfaction survey was conducted online between January and February of 2024, covering a base of 1,372 respondents from across Lithuania.