Job satisfaction in the low wage service sector

The stylized facts associated with workers' satisfaction are tested using a distinctive data set. Using principal components analysis five distinct measures of workers' satisfaction, and the factors that determine each one are examined. The data set, covering three low-wage service sectors, enables control for workplace characteristics to be made. It is shown that characteristics previously identified as important by the job satisfaction literature, in fact have differing effects according to the type of satisfaction being considered. Then is examined which of the satisfaction components has the greatest impact on overall satisfaction. Satisfaction with short-term rewards and long-term prospects are found to be far more influential in determining overall satisfaction, than contentment with social relationships or work intensity.