The World’s Job Satisfaction Hotspots

In the modern day, employee expectations don’t just revolve around factors like salary. Other benefits and perks are now valued by today’s workers, such as flexibility, paid leave, healthcare access, and overall wellbeing. These factors are becoming more prioritised, with employees feeling they’re increasingly necessary for a positive work-life balance.

Looking at various countries around the globe and different states within the US, health insurance comparison service iSelect has analysed multiple workplace indicators and identified the world’s biggest job satisfaction hotspots. Though these indicators vary slightly between the US, EU, and Australia due to data availability, the rankings are representative of each nation’s job satisfaction. The following article discusses the findings of the study, putting together the results into an index that ranks every location.

The World’s Job Satisfaction Hotspots

After considering factors like the average weekly working hours, work-from-home rate, job satisfaction, and average job tenure, we’ve pulled together a list of the top five happiest countries to work, giving each a score out of 100: 

1. Denmark – 78.95
2. Netherlands – 76.35
3. Finland – 74.31
4. Norway – 68.57
5. Sweden – 64.74

Denmark scored the highest on our index, with strong scores across the board contributing to their ranking in the top spot. Factors such as their short average working week (33.2 hours) and low rates of long working hours (2.4%) help Danes have an improved work-life balance. This pairs well with strong workplace wellbeing and the 40 days of annual leave that workers receive, greatly benefitting their final total.

In a close second on our index is the Netherlands, who rank the highest for their work-from-home rate (51.6%), meaning that their workers enjoy greater flexibility over where they work. With their average weekly working hours also being the lowest (31 hours), their employees are able to spend more time doing what they enjoy outside of their jobs. This correlates with their low job dissatisfaction (1.1%), which is also the best ranking of all nations.

Rounding out our top three is Finland, who score strongly with their employees’ job satisfaction (7.90/10) and rank first for having a thriving workplace (81.0%). Considering they also have the second-smallest drop in earnings (2.2%) due to job insecurity, it’s no surprise that their employees have positive feelings towards their jobs and work.

Taking fourth place is Norway, continuing the trend of Nordic countries championing the index as locations with the best job satisfaction. Norway also records the highest average job satisfaction score of all countries in our rankings (7.99/10), proving that the majority of employees in the country feel positively about their day-to-day work. The nation also has a high work-from-home rate (41.8%), giving workers more flexibility compared to countries that require on-site attendance.

Sweden ranks next on the index, completing the top five and recording the second-highest work-from-home rate (45.3%) of all nations. This would likely contribute to the positive state of their workplaces, with more than two-thirds found to be thriving (69.0%), putting them as the third-highest nation for this metric alone.

If we look outside the top five, we can find nations like Australia ranking 24th on the index. They’re let down by their low average job tenure of just over three years (3.3) – more than four years less than Switzerland (7.58 years) – and because half of the nation’s workplaces feel stressed. This is potentially due to Australia having the highest proportion of employees working long hours (9.7%), with a sizeable number working for more than 50 hours.

Interestingly, though, southern European countries such as Greece and Portugal rank in second and third for the average job tenure (12.96 years and 11.83 years respectively), but they’re poorly scored overall on the index. Greece is 26th on the index, while Portugal sits slightly higher in 23rd place, with both scoring poorly largely because of higher workplace stress rates, at 61% and 47% respectively.

America’s Best States for Job Satisfaction

Moving on to America specifically, let’s pick out the best states to work in for job satisfaction, delving into why their employees like or dislike their lines of work: 

1. District of Columbia – 69.62
2. Colorado – 69.12
3. Maryland – 68.40
4. Massachusetts – 67.11
5. Washington – 63.29

Topping the American rankings on the index is the District of Columbia. With the location having the highest work-from-home rate by far (56.8%), it’s able to offer its workers an increased level of flexibility and a better work-life balance compared to other areas within the USA. DC also has the lowest health cost burden on families, taking up just 5.7% of the median family income, and has paid sick leave laws to protect its workers.

The runner-up state is Colorado after ranking second on the index. The central state ranks as the best location for paid time off (7/10), being another that also has paid sick leave laws to protect employee welfare. Their work-from-home rate is also positioned in second (32.4%), placing it only behind DC and, again, offering more freedom for employees to work wherever is best for them.

Maryland completes the top three best states for job satisfaction, also having a lower health cost burden, with a lower percentage being required of the median family income (7.3%). Considering that it also allows employees to use a greater amount of sick leave per year compared to other states (64 hours), it means that workers can take greater care of their health.

Closely missing out on the top three is Massachusetts, where there is also a lower percentage of the median family income required to afford healthcare (7.5%). With a higher work-from-home rate (31.4%), they rank third for this metric and offer greater workplace flexibility than most states.

Washington completes the top five best states to work in, with its employees benefitting from unlimited sick leave accruals as there is no cap. This benefits workers, who have a greater ability to take care of their health. With the fourth-highest work-from-home rate (30.8%), their employees also have more autonomy over choosing where to work from.

Throughout the top five best states to work, we can clearly see a common theme tying all the American locations together. All states listed have paid sick leave laws in place, meaning that this is likely a large contributor towards job satisfaction rankings and improved workplace happiness.

What Makes Workers Happier?

Looking at the top-performing locations both around the world and within America, we can see the trends that correlate with an improved perception of people’s jobs. By putting these together, we can pick out what makes employees happier within their workplaces and roles.

The first big contributor to greater job satisfaction is a higher work-from-home rate, which consistently appears among the top performing locations. This is likely because it provides more opportunity for workers to be flexible, with hybrid-friendly working models allowing for employees to have more autonomy.

Rankings also improved with lower healthcare costs, likely because there is less strain on workers’ finances as a lower percentage is required to cover any fees. Because of these lower costs, people are more likely to look after themselves and their wellbeing as it’s more affordable.

Shorter working hours can also be seen as an important contributor to workplace happiness, with employee satisfaction increasing in correlation. This would give workers more opportunities to have a better work-life balance and enjoy more of their hobbies and passions outside of work.

Finally, though we can see generous annual leave assisting how satisfied workers are with their roles, overall employee wellbeing and flexibility seemingly matter more, with job satisfaction rankings being more influenced by these factors.