An overwhelming majority of Irish workers are satisfied with their current job according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), with over one quarter of workers (25.9 per cent) stating they are 'very satisfied'.
The 'Personal and Work-life Balance Survey', looking at job and life satisfaction among workers and people's barriers to work, revealed that of the one in nine employees who are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their jobs, 88.4 per cent said they have to work very hard in their current role.
Just under 60 per cent of these people said they never have enough time to get their job done, while 49.1 per cent said they have to work more than their formal hours to ensure all of their tasks are completed.
Asked about whether they would leave their current position for a better paid job, full-time workers with long service were more likely to turn down the offer, with 35.5 per cent of those who have spent 19 or more years with their current employer stating they would opt for the new job.
This figure increased among part-time workers with a similar service term, 45.8 per cent of whom said they would take the new job offer.
Temporary or part-time employees, or those who have only been with their current employer for a short period of time were the most likely to be considering a job change in the next six months.
Part-time employees with less than five years service in their job were found to be almost twice as likely to leave their job in this timeframe compared to their full-time counterparts.
The CSO data found opportunities for promotion had a huge impact on employees' job satisfaction, with 56.1 per cent who are not satisfied with their job stating they would leave their current position if they were offered a better paid role elsewhere.
People with poor health were also found to have a higher rate of dissatisfaction with life, equating to 55.1 per cent, while only 4.4 per cent of those in very good health were similarly dissatisfied. In contrast, the vast majority (95.6 per cent) of those in very good health reported they were very satisfied with life.
Just over one quarter of respondents said they found it hard to make ends meet, which was higher among part-time workers (40.5 per cent) compared to those in full-time employment (22.6 per cent).
For those currently not working, 28 per cent said their employment opportunities were impacted by long-standing health problems, 13 per cent said they were unable to work due to providing care for a dependent family member or friend, and 11 per cent said they were not working due to childcare issues.
