Canadians among most satisfied employees in the world: Survey

Job security, flexibility contributing to high satisfaction levels

One out of three Canadians are very satisfied with their current employer, placing Canadians amongst the highest employee satisfaction levels reported globally, according to the Randstad's latest Global Workmonitor.

Canadian employees ranked the highest amongst the 14 non-European countries surveyed, as nearly one in three (31 per cent) report to be "very satisfied''. Only Denmark (35 per cent), Luxembourg (33 per cent),Norway (33 per cent) and Switzerland (32 per cent) reported higher levels of workers being very satisfied with their current employers, found the survey, which polls at least 400 employees in each participating country.

When combining categories, 76 per cent of Canadian workers said they are either "very satisfied" or "satisfied" at work, results that are similar to those in the United States (72 per cent) and Australia (73 per cent).

"There are a number of reasons why Canadians have more on the job satisfaction than other markets," said Jan Hein Bax, president of Randstad Canada. "With our strong marketplace, employees often find they have more job security and flexibility than other countries, and better work environments."

Job security: The importance of job security has become more significant to employees due to the economic challenges experienced over the last few years, said Randstad. In 2011, a survey of more than 7,000 Canadians found that job security is a factor that employees truly care about. More than one-half (53 per cent) of survey respondents ranked job security as one of the most important factors to consider when choosing an employer.

Flexibility: Because of the looming labour shortages, more and more employers are becoming sensitive to their employees' needs. Canadian organizations are putting in extra efforts to make sure their employees are evolving in a flexible and accommodating environment that will help them achieve a suitable work-life balance, another important value for Canadian workers, said Hein Bax.

Work environment: Corporate culture and work environment is a key determinant for Canadians making the choice to stay with an organization. The results from last year's survey also found that a pleasant work atmosphere ranked as the number one most important factor (according to six out of 10 respondents), when seeking an employer.

"Even with the stresses and pressure the workplace can sometimes bring, Canadians find great comfort in their relationships with colleagues and managers," said Hein Bax. "Even by taking part in corporate social and charitable activities, employees gain a sense of pride that is in tune with their need to contribute positively to society."

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