by Leong Sze Hian/
I refer to the report “Singapore workers happier than two years ago: survey” (Channel NewsAsia, Nov 10).
Some interesting findings from the survey were:-
“60% of the respondents also indicated in the survey that they are satisfied with their current job”
Does this mean that about 4 out of 10 workers were dissatisfied with their jobs?
Salary and advancement opportunities least satisfied
“salary and advancement opportunities are the attributes that respondents are least satisfied with in their current jobs. Since these are the same attributes which were ranked as highly important, it can be inferred that the expectations of working adults are generally not being met in the workplace, and that employers who want to have happier employees should first look into improving advancement opportunities and salary”
More contract workers?
“Type of Employment
Type of Employment Count %
Permanent 1818 76.2%
Contract/ Temporary/Internship 445 18.7%
Part-time 122 5.1%
Total 2385 100.0%”
This may be in line with the trend of more workers being hired on a contract/temporary or part-time basis.
1 out of 4 unhappy?
“25% of the respondents have a score of 45 (between Neutral and being moderately unsatisfied and unhappy)”
Oldest most unhappy?
“The happiest employees are the youngest respondents. Those who are 16-20 years old scored 62.1 in the happiness index. We believe this group tends to be in contract or temporary jobs while they pursue their education. On the other hand, the oldest group who are 61 and above are the most unhappy, with an average score of 54.9. This group also experienced the greatest decline in work happiness from 2010 to 2011 – by 19.6 points”
Contract workers lowest happiness score
“Contract and temporary employees have the lowest Work Happiness Indicator score of 56.4, which makes them the only group with a score lower than the average overall score of 57.4. This may be attributed to how contract employees enjoy the least benefits and have relatively less job security”
Associate professionals unhappiest
“Associate professionals are the unhappiest workers, with a score of 55.6, slightly lower than administrative staff (score of 55.9)”
“The most unhappy workers are those who have worked for 25-29 years (55.4), and also see the greatest decline in work happiness, down from 61.0 last year. The group that sees the greatest improvement are those who have worked for 10 to 14 years. This group sees an improvement of 4.9% in their average score, from 53.5 to 55.4. However, it is interesting to note that they fall below the overall mean scores for both years”
Earn below $1,000 2nd happiest?
“Interestingly too, those who earn below $1000 per month are the second happiest group (59.6)”
Perhaps earning less than $1000 may make you happier than most of those who earn more? What could be the explanation for this?
