Why so fed up and footloose in IT ? Spelling out the associations between occupation and overall job satisfaction shown by WERS 2004

Analysis of the Workplace Employment Relations Survey 2004 employee data shows striking differences in levels of overall job satisfaction among occupational groups. The examination is based on the 81 Minor Occupation groupings in UK Standard Occupational Classification 2000 classification. Taking a possible specific occupational effect possibly conditioned by resonance effects, as a theoretical point of departure, multivariate analysis is used to restate apparent occupational effect as occupationally bundled individual-level variables and workplace influences—a process seen as exchanging nominal-level measurement (names of occupations) with theoretical variables. Although 13 minor occupational groups retain statistically significant independent influence after the statistical treatment, these effects are small. Detailed illustration and specification of bundling effects and further examination of their sources take information and communications technology and communication professionals as their point of reference. INTRODUCTION: USING WORKPLACE EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS SURVEY (WERS) 2004 FOR UNDERSTANDING JOB SATISFACTION Work in information and communications technology (ICT) has enjoyed vigorous expansion for almost 50 years, and particularly in the last 15, with returns to ICT skill buoyant since 1990. On the one hand, ICT employment has every appearance of offering secure, interesting, lucrative work with excellent opportunities for career progression (Rose, 2005c; 2005d). On the other hand, although it is recognised that some rewards in teaching have improved over the last 10 years, the teaching professions are still often considered ‘loser’ occupations in terms of material returns, while their attractions for job quality, sense of achievement and social status are widely thought to have been in long-term decline. Yet findings from WERS 2004 suggest ❒ Michael Rose is Professorial Research Fellow, University of Bath. Correspondence should be addressed to Professor M. J. Rose, Department of Social and Policy Studies, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK; e-mail: [email protected] Industrial Relations Journal 38:4, 356–384 ISSN 0019-8692 © 2007 The Author(s) Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 9600 Garsington Rd, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and Main St., Malden,