Factores determinantes de la satisfacción laboral en España antes y durante la crisis de 2008

Purpose: We try to find out differences between personal and job-related features to know
which better explain job satisfaction. This study is made in a year of economic growth and in
two years of economic crisis, in order to determine if the economic crisis affects to previous
results.
Design/methodology: The data are from the Quality of Labour Life Survey by the Ministry
of Employment and Social Security in Spain, in 2007, 2009 and 2010. We use linear models
(ANOVA), principal component analysis and stepwise multiple regression. The variables are
degree of satisfaction with the current job and a group of personal variables (gender, age and
education level) and job-related variables (with a maximum of 14 variables depending on the
method).
Findings: Using linear models get the variables related to work which provide better results to
explain job satisfaction, and after a stepwise regression made with factors of principal
component analysis, we find out that salary is one of the last factors in this explanation. The variables that influence on job satisfaction do not depend on the economic cycle, although the
hierarchies are different among them.
Social implications: During the crisis, the demands of workers are lower because they prefer
to have a job with low working conditions and low salary than lose their job. Reducing the
degree of satisfaction with stability and wages is due to the economic situation, because labour
contracts are less stable and remunerated.
Originality/value: We have compared the results of stepwise regression made with the
original variables and the factors of principal component analysis. The combination of these
methodologies is new in studies of job satisfaction, as well as the original combination of 14
variables related to work.