According to a survey published by the human resource company ADP, workers in the Netherlands are the most satisfied with their jobs.

The ADP study

The Workforce View in Europe in 2017 study looked at 9.920 working adults in eight European territories including France Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK.

The study was conducted on behalf of ADP, in July 2016 by an independent market research company called Opinion Matters. It assessed the attitudes of workers towards their jobs and the future of work, taking into consideration issues such as international talent, skills and career development, employee engagement, wellbeing and workplace technology.

Overall, the study showed that 47 percent of the workforce that was assessed claimed that pay was the biggest factor in how high they ranked their job satisfaction. 28 percent regarded a work-life balance as being important and 30 percent believed having good colleagues made a difference. 

A satisfied Netherlands

Whilst the study looked at many aspects of working life, the Netherlands scored the highest in terms of satisfaction in their job roles. Overall, the survey revealed that on average 7 out of 10 workers are satisfied with the work they do, with the Netherlands scoring the highest with 76 percent.

Workers in the UK were the most dissatisfied with only 13 percent. Looking closer, the study revealed some of the reasons that the Netherlands scored the highest. They claim to have good relationships with their colleagues, enjoy the opportunity to work from home, and have a good work-life balance.

These findings may also be related to the Dutch working environment, the flexibility of work contracts and of course, paid leave. 

The top five most satisfied

Here are the top five countries with the most satisfied workers:
1. Netherlands - 76 percent
2. Poland - 74 percent
3. Switzerland - 73 percent
4. Spain - 71 percent
5. Britain - 68 percent

Other findings

The study also assessed issues to do with stress, how positive workers were when asked about future prospects and how optimistic they were in general.

The ADP found that the Netherlands scored high in experiencing less stress than most European workers, and even one-third of people in the Dutch workforce claim they are not stressed at all. The only country that scored better than the Netherlands was Spain. Italy and Poland were home to some of the most stressed workers in the EU.

In terms of assessing work potential work prospects in the coming five years, Germany and Poland scored the highest with the Netherlands following close behind.

Naturally, workers in the Netherlands between 25 and 35 years of age are more optimistic than their older counterparts. The older the worker, the less optimistic they are about their work and their workplace. 

When looking at the most attractive countries for European employees, the study showed that the Netherlands ranked the lowest, just one up from Italy that was in tenth place. 

Top 10 places to work in Europe

Here is a list of top 10 countries in the European Union for work:
1. Germany
2. The UK
3. France
4. Switzerland
5. Austria
6. Belgium
7. Spain
8. Norway
9. The Netherlands
10. Italy