Just how satisfied are German workers with their jobs? And what is the biggest factor contributing to job satisfaction? According to a new representative survey, it’s the salary that most employees care most about. 

68 percent of workers in Germany satisfied with jobs

Meaningful work, purpose and values are big buzzwords in the modern workplace, but according to a new survey, most employees are actually more interested in cold hard cash when it comes to deciding whether to remain in a position or hand in their resignation and look elsewhere. 

The representative survey, conducted by YouGov on behalf of AVANTEGARDE Experts, a recruitment company based in Munich, asked more than 1.000 workers in Germany about their working lives, job satisfaction and motivations. They discovered that generally speaking, employees in Germany are happy and motivated in their jobs, with 68 percent describing themselves as “rather” or “completely” satisfied with their work. Only 12 percent gave a negative answer. 

When it came to boosting job satisfaction, the answer was pretty clear: 62 percent of respondents said that a higher salary would have a positive influence on their job satisfaction. 38 percent said they would like more flexible working hours, while just 23 percent said that “interesting work content” contributed to job satisfaction. One in three workers said they were planning salary negotiations with their line managers this year. 

In times of crisis, security is more important than salary

Reflecting the conclusions of other surveys that have posited that the coronavirus pandemic has sparked a mass rethinking on careers, one in five survey respondents said they were planning to change jobs within the next six months. However, this is a 17-percentage-point decrease compared to 2019. 

In fact, amid the current global climate of rising costs and looming recessions, 74 percent of survey respondents said they would opt for a secure job in times of crisis, compared to the 26 percent who said they would be guided by salary. 

“From this, one can suggest that in times of crisis the familiar working environment also contributes to personal stability and is an important support,” said Philipp Riedel, CEO of AVANTGARDE Experts, in a statement. He said that employers and entrepreneurs should “examine how jobs can be designed as securely and long-term as possible” to help them attract and retain talent.