No job satisfaction? You’re in good company
File picture shows Malaysian government employees working inside the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) office in Putrajaya. — Reuters pic
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 — Finding your job to be soul-sapping and unfulfilling? Fret not, you’re not alone, because only one in five Malaysians are content in their current employment, according to a recent survey on global well-being.
The lack of job satisfaction is such that it is the only one of five measures of wellbeing — purpose — in which those “suffering” outstrip respondents who consider themselves “thriving”.
Still, Malaysians are generally a satisfied bunch, according to the 2013 poll by American pollster Gallup and US-based well-being company Healthways Global, which showed Malaysians topping others Asians in each of the five well-being categories measured: purpose, social, financial, community and physical.
“The only element in which Malaysians are more likely to be suffering (28 per cent) than thriving (20 per cent) is purpose well-being, indicating many do not feel fulfilled in their jobs or daily activities,” said the survey released Tuesday that polled 135 countries.
The purpose well-being category is defined as “liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals”.
Although there are more Malaysians who find their jobs unfulfilling than those who turned up at work with a spring in their step, respondents reported higher rates of satisfaction than others worldwide on other measures.
In terms of feeling safe where they lived and liking their surroundings, 37 per cent responded positively, while the proliferation of text messaging apps and the popularity of social networks here saw over one in three respondents saying they were happy socially.
“As in many Asian countries, young people in Malaysia have been much more likely than those in older generations to embrace social media.
In particular, the popularity of messenger apps like WhatsApp and LINE have exploded in popularity among young Malaysians,” said the report.
Slightly more than a quarter of Malaysians (28 per cent) said they were thriving in financial wellbeing, compared to 25 per cent in Asia, with the report attributing Malaysia’s score to the upper middle-income country’s low unemployment rate of 3 per cent.
A total of 29 per cent of Malaysians are thriving in physical wellbeing, the report found.
The survey noted that almost one out of four Malaysians (24 per cent) expressed satisfaction in three or more well-being categories, higher than the Asia region (14 per cent) and globally (17 per cent).
“These positive results are likely attributable in part to the Malaysian government’s focus on productivity-enhancing reforms, poverty reduction, and economic diversification, as reflected in its investments in infrastructure and human capital,” said the survey.
“Malaysia’s healthcare system is generally seen as efficient and broadly accessible, and the country’s booming medical tourism sector has helped promote investment in high-quality medical facilities while keeping the cost of healthcare services competitive,” said the report.
The survey further said Malaysians are twice as likely to be thriving in four or more well-being categories at 12 per cent, compared to the Asia region’s 6 per cent.
“There is much room for improvement, but such gains are likely if the government continues its focus on favourable investment conditions and the broad-based development of human capital,”
It pinpointed efforts to make education more accessible and the push into new industries as among strategies that could help address Malaysians’ low levels of job satisfaction and improve their financial standing.
According to the survey, the happiest country in the world is Panama, with other Latin American and European nations comprising the top 10 countries thriving in three or more well-being categories.
---- 19 September 2014
File picture shows Malaysian government employees working inside the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) office in Putrajaya. — Reuters pic
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 — Finding your job to be soul-sapping and unfulfilling? Fret not, you’re not alone, because only one in five Malaysians are content in their current employment, according to a recent survey on global well-being.
The lack of job satisfaction is such that it is the only one of five measures of wellbeing — purpose — in which those “suffering” outstrip respondents who consider themselves “thriving”.
Still, Malaysians are generally a satisfied bunch, according to the 2013 poll by American pollster Gallup and US-based well-being company Healthways Global, which showed Malaysians topping others Asians in each of the five well-being categories measured: purpose, social, financial, community and physical.
“The only element in which Malaysians are more likely to be suffering (28 per cent) than thriving (20 per cent) is purpose well-being, indicating many do not feel fulfilled in their jobs or daily activities,” said the survey released Tuesday that polled 135 countries.
The purpose well-being category is defined as “liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals”.
Although there are more Malaysians who find their jobs unfulfilling than those who turned up at work with a spring in their step, respondents reported higher rates of satisfaction than others worldwide on other measures.
In terms of feeling safe where they lived and liking their surroundings, 37 per cent responded positively, while the proliferation of text messaging apps and the popularity of social networks here saw over one in three respondents saying they were happy socially.
“As in many Asian countries, young people in Malaysia have been much more likely than those in older generations to embrace social media.
In particular, the popularity of messenger apps like WhatsApp and LINE have exploded in popularity among young Malaysians,” said the report.
Slightly more than a quarter of Malaysians (28 per cent) said they were thriving in financial wellbeing, compared to 25 per cent in Asia, with the report attributing Malaysia’s score to the upper middle-income country’s low unemployment rate of 3 per cent.
A total of 29 per cent of Malaysians are thriving in physical wellbeing, the report found.
The survey noted that almost one out of four Malaysians (24 per cent) expressed satisfaction in three or more well-being categories, higher than the Asia region (14 per cent) and globally (17 per cent).
“These positive results are likely attributable in part to the Malaysian government’s focus on productivity-enhancing reforms, poverty reduction, and economic diversification, as reflected in its investments in infrastructure and human capital,” said the survey.
“Malaysia’s healthcare system is generally seen as efficient and broadly accessible, and the country’s booming medical tourism sector has helped promote investment in high-quality medical facilities while keeping the cost of healthcare services competitive,” said the report.
The survey further said Malaysians are twice as likely to be thriving in four or more well-being categories at 12 per cent, compared to the Asia region’s 6 per cent.
“There is much room for improvement, but such gains are likely if the government continues its focus on favourable investment conditions and the broad-based development of human capital,”
It pinpointed efforts to make education more accessible and the push into new industries as among strategies that could help address Malaysians’ low levels of job satisfaction and improve their financial standing.
According to the survey, the happiest country in the world is Panama, with other Latin American and European nations comprising the top 10 countries thriving in three or more well-being categories.
---- 19 September 2014
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