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Data shows Australians are a satisfied workforce, with no worries over job security

Announcement posted by ORC International 13 Jul 2011

New figures from ORC International’s perspectives database reveal Australians are a nation of content employees

(SYDNEY, NSW) – According to the latest statistics from ORC International’s perspectives database, Australian employees enjoy a low-pressure, stress-free working life, and have little concern about losing their jobs.

perspectives gathers the accumulated opinions of employees on a wide range of subjects related to their levels of engagement. The database contains the results of more than 400 organisations’ employee surveys, representing the views of approximately 1.4 million people from around the world. For each question asked, the scores have been ranked among the responses of other nations (specifically the UK, USA and Hong Kong), gauging Australia’s position in the global employer environment.

Australia ranked top with 75% agreeing with the statement, ‘Considering everything I am satisfied with the job I do’. They were also upbeat on job security with 66% agreeing with the statement, ‘I feel secure in my job’. On the same subject, 60% of respondents in the USA agreed, and just 52% in the UK.

Of the counties included, Australia also had the highest positive responses for statements regarding:

Communication (68% positive)

Team cooperation (84% positive)

Fairness and respect (78% positive)

Staff numbers (52% positive)

On top of this widely optimistic outlook, employees in Australia were also in high spirits about their remuneration packages. Again, they were the top scoring country with 57% agreeing with the statement, ‘Considering my duties and responsibilities, I feel my pay is fair’. The figure was far lower in the UK, with only 47% of employees satisfied with their salaries.

This picture of tranquility is also backed up by Australians’ views on their work / life balance, with 68% positive responses, compared to 69% in the UK, 66% in the USA, and 62% in Hong Kong.

Australian employees also felt they had a good understanding of their own jobs and the company as a whole. 85% agreed that are clear on what they are expected to achieve in their jobs. The same percentage also felt they understood how they contributed to the success of the company.

Interestingly, Australians did not think that poor performance was being effectively dealt with where they work, with just 34% responding positively on this subject. This suggests that while work is a comfortable, satisfying experience, employees are not pushed hard enough or picked up on when they perform badly.

Of the benchmarked countries, Australia also had the lowest positive responses when employees were asked if they thought their company was an equal opportunity employer. Respondents were 74% positive compared to 78% in the UK and 81% in the USA.

Information for editors

The perspectives database contains the results of more than 400 organisations’ employee surveys, representing the views of approximately 1.4 million people from around the world. The questions asked employees about workplace topics including their job, manager, communication, resources, pay and benefits, work/life balance, training and development and perceptions of their organisation. The questions were poised as statements where respondents plot their answers on a Likert scale between ‘Strongly agree’ and ‘Strongly disagree’ with ‘Neither agree nor disagree’ in the middle. The results were then produced as ‘percentage positive scores’ – this is the percentage of respondents that selected either ‘Agree’ or ‘Strongly agree’.

About ORC International

ORC International is a leading global market research firm with offices across the US, Europe and Asia Pacific region. ORC International offers the unique ability to integrate primary and secondary research, competitive intelligence and expert insight to address the business challenges of its clients worldwide. To learn more about ORC International, visit www.orcinternational.co.uk