Canadian workers most satisfied with jobs: Survey

Nearly two-thirds content with jobs, one-quarter would work for free

Nearly two thirds (64 per cent) of Canadian workers love or like their job a lot while only seven per cent don't like their current role, according to a survey released by Monster.ca.

Compared to international results, Canadian workers are the most satisfied labour force, found the international survey of more than 8,000 workers.

When asked, "Which of the following best describes how much you love your current job?" Canadians responded:

•I love it (24 per cent)
•I like it a lot (40 per cent)
•I like it (29 per cent)
•I don’t like it (five per cent)
•I hate it (two per cent).

Demographic differences

But Canada's younger workers are most likely to be unhappy at work, with 13 per cent of workers under the age of 25 confessing they dislike their jobs and think they could do better.

"Young Canadians are ambitious and eager-to-succeed, so it's not surprising that a significant proportion of them are feeling frustrated in their current jobs and think they can do better," said Sheryl Boswell, director of marketing at Monster.ca. "Smart employers mentor their younger workers, ensuring clear career growth paths, and they know how their performance will be measured and rewarded — this will help these younger workers stay engaged and improve retention."

The percentage of workers who said they like their job a lot increases steadily with each age group. One-quarter (23 per cent) of 18- to 24-year-olds revealed they enjoy what they do for a living, but this figure rose to 45 per cent in 50- to 64-year-olds.

The highest paid Canadian workers are the most content with their employment, found the Monster.ca survey. Seventy per cent of those in the higher income bracket said they love or like their jobs a lot. The number of medium earners was significantly less, with 55 per cent feeling content at work, while low earners are the least happy, with 44 per cent saying they love or like their jobs a lot.

International view

Canadians are the most likely nation to say they either love their jobs or like them a lot, found the worldwide survey of people in Canada, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and United States. The Netherlands is the next happiest nation at work, with 57 per cent saying they either love or like their employment, followed by India (55 per cent), the U.S. (53 per cent), the U.K. (46 per cent), France (43 per cent) and Germany (34 per cent).

U.S. respondents are the most likely to say they dislike their jobs, (15 per cent), followed by the U.K. (12 per cent), Germany (10 per cent), France (nine per cent), Canada and the Netherlands (both at seven per cent) and India (five per cent).

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