Salary is the most important factor in job satisfaction in Germany

How satisfied are German employees with their jobs? And what contributes most to job satisfaction? Salary is what matters most to most workers, according to a new representative survey.

68 percent of employees in Germany are satisfied with their work

Meaningful work, purpose and values ​​are big buzzwords in the modern workplace, but according to a new survey most workers are actually more interested in hard cash when deciding whether to stay in one position or quit and look elsewhere.

The representative survey, carried out by YouGov on behalf of AVANTEGARD Experts, a Munich-based personnel consultancy, asked more than 1,000 employees in Germany about their working life, job satisfaction and motivation. They found that employees in Germany are generally happy and motivated in their job, with 68 percent describing themselves as “rather” or “completely” satisfied with their job. Only 12 percent gave a negative answer.

When it came to increasing job satisfaction, the answer was pretty clear: 62 percent of respondents indicated that a higher salary would have a positive impact on their job satisfaction. 38 percent would like more flexible working hours, only 23 percent say that “interesting work content” contributes to job satisfaction. One in three employees stated that they were planning salary negotiations with their superiors this year.

In times of crisis, security is more important than salary

Considering the conclusions of other surveys that have posited that the coronavirus pandemic has sparked a mass rethink about careers, one in five survey respondents said they plan to change jobs within the next six months. However, this is a decrease of 17 percentage points compared to 2019.

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

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