Metro Manila: As the fast-growing economy lifts companies’ productivity and their workers’ happiness, the Philippines has the highest job satisfaction rate in Asia, a latest report has pointed out.
The Happiness Index, compiled by online employment portal JobStreet, showed Filipinos were happiest with their jobs compared to workers from six other Asian countries, reported CNN Philippines.
On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being extremely unhappy and 10 being extremely happy, Filipinos averaged 6.25 points, the report said, adding that only Indonesia came close with 6.16 points. Thailand (5.74), Hong Kong (5.54), Vietnam (5.48) and Malaysia (5.22) followed. Singapore scored the lowest in the group with 5.09 points.
JobStreet Country Manager Philip Gioca reportedly said the continued growth of the economy was lifting the spirits of Filipino workers.
“When output is growing, productivity is there, targets are met, you can see happier people,” he was quoted as saying. “It’s actually virtuous circle. When you have happy people, you have more productive people. And then the companies grow, and they want to invest more in their people.”
According to the Happiness Index Report, the most important factor for Filipinos to feel satisfied at work is having good relationships with their colleagues. “It’s the Filipino culture. We’re highly relational and we want to establish personal relationships with the people we spend a third of our day with,” Gioca reportedly said.
A convenient work location also boosts job happiness, especially given the traffic jams around Metro Manila, the report said, adding that a strong company reputation is also important to Filipinos since they feel it lends stability to their career.
On the other hand, the top factors that convince a Filipino employee to leave a job are: low pay, lack of benefits and lack of training opportunities. One in three Filipinos said they would feel happier at work if they were paid more, the report read. One in five said they would be more satisfied if they got a new job instead.
However, Gioca reportedly pointed out, the factors behind job happiness and unhappiness differed among workers depending on what stage they were in their career.
Fresh graduates, junior executives and supervisors all prioritized good working relationships. Managers focused on company reputation, said the news portal.
Poor pay and benefits discouraged fresh graduates and junior executives. A lack of training opportunities made supervisors and managers dissatisfied, it was pointed out.
“You can see that while people are younger, they’re really more focused on themselves and their colleagues. As they go up the corporate ladder, it becomes more about the company and their opportunities to develop themselves and other people,” Gioca was quoted as saying by CNN Philippines.
Broken down by sector, workers in the government, education and energy industries reported the highest job satisfaction. Those employed in retail, banking and business process outsourcing were the least satisfied, said the report.
