Irish workers rank fourth in the world when it comes to workplace happiness, the top-ranked state in the EU, with Dublin leading the way.
Sitting behind an eclectic top three of Colombia, Mexico and Russia, Ireland ranks pretty high in an international look into workplace happiness.
With only two EU states in the top 10 (Spain lands ninth spot), Ireland’s position is revealed in a survey conducted by Indeed in 35 countries worldwide.
Rather than hooking a load of sensors up to workers’ brains to monitor chemical balances – surely a more scientific way of measuring happiness – Indeed surveyed workers about their preferences in the job.
Ranking five areas – work-life balance, quality of management, office culture, job security and advancement, and compensation and benefits – in order of preference, Ireland came out well ahead of the UK (22nd), the US (23rd) and Germany (27th) when it came to happier choices, with China anchoring the bottom of the table.
Happy workplace, a conceptual issue
Indeed’s own reports of old highlight salary as the key incentive for taking a job, but this looks more at attitudes of people already in employment, thus the shift in priorities.
“Pay levels were consistently the lowest-ranked factor in measuring employee satisfaction of people in a job,” said Indeed’s EMEA economist Mariano Mamertino.
“That doesn’t mean pay is not an important recruitment tool, but rather that once people are in a job the things that keep them happy and motivated move to less tangible issues like career progression, their relationships with their boss and, most importantly, the balance they can strike between work and their personal life.”
Thousands of company reviews went towards the rankings, with Ireland’s happiest jobs those of carpenters, builders, secretaries and childcare assistants. Of course, this report is entirely influenced by Indeed’s own recruitment channels, so it’s hardly an emphatically accurate look at what is surely a conceptual idea. Still, it is a pretty cool way of looking at things.
“Those concerned about the prospects of Ireland continuing to attract FDI investment should be reassured by the findings of the index, which indicate that Ireland has the happiest workforce in Europe, which is an attractive feature for any company looking at setting up here,” said Mamertino.
Indeed’s workplace enjoyment ranking:
- Colombia
- Mexico
- Russia
- Ireland
- Brazil
- Norway
- Chile
- New Zealand
- Spain
- Venezuela
- Australia
- Peru
- Sweden
- Portugal
- Italy
- Philippines
- Canada
- UAE
- Hong Kong
- Netherlands
- Argentina
- UK
- US
- Pakistan
- Belgium
- Japan
- Germany
- South Africa
- France
- Poland
- Malaysia
- Austria
- Singapore
- India
- China
Happy workplace via Shutterstock
