jobs.lu recently conducted a study to find out how satisfied employees in Luxembourg are with their pay.
The study revealed that only just over a third of the people surveyed said they were satisfied with their salary.
Luxembourg, 23rd March 2022 – Last February, jobs.lu conducted a survey among a panel of Luxembourg employees to assess their level of satisfaction with their pay and to explore how they feel about pay-related issues.
The first results of this study, to which 1,241 people responded, reveal a high level of dissatisfaction among employees about their pay. Over 60% of the workers surveyed say they are not satisfied with their current pay. Almost one in five (19.74%) say they are ‘very dissatisfied’, while 41.74% say they are ‘somewhat dissatisfied’. Among the employees who are satisfied with their pay, 32.96% say they are ‘fairly satisfied’ and only 5.56% are ‘very satisfied’.
One in two employees think they earn less than the market average
In order to further explore the sense of dissatisfaction which was revealed in the results, the survey asked employees whether they thought their pay level was in line with the market average.
In response to this, over one in two employees (51.25%) think they are paid less than others in the market. Only 17.16% of workers think they are paid above average.
No clear pay policy
How do those who feel they are paid less than average explain their feelings? 60% of them say that their company does not have a real pay policy. 28% say that they negotiated their salary poorly. 18% do not dare to talk to their manager about their salary or ask for a raise.
“Pay-related issues are always sensitive, often giving rise to concern and even frustration,” says Arthur Meulman, CEO of jobs.lu. “The results of this study reveal that, beyond the obvious dissatisfaction, many companies do not have a clear and coherent pay policy, and that good communication about salary issues remains a problem area. In a tight labour market, ensuring team satisfaction is essential: this includes fair pay. Therefore, managers must be able to apply a pay policy that takes account of the market reality, so that pay-related issues can be discussed more openly with each member of their team.”
Experience, skills, and responsibilities rewarded
The study revealed that, among those who considered themselves to be better paid than the market average, the difference was due to experience (for 40% of respondents), additional skills (35%), additional responsibilities (21%), and loyalty to the company (15%).
Methodology
As part of its survey, jobs.lu submitted a questionnaire to a sample of employees working in Luxembourg on the topic of salary satisfaction and perception.
The questionnaire, which was available in English and French, was filled out in the last week of February and the first week of March by 1,241 people. The resulting data reveals the employees’ level of satisfaction with their pay, as well as how they feel about pay-related issues within their company, and on a societal level. Our analysts screened the results to ensure that the representation and validity of respondents’ answers were accurate.