Work versus non-work predictors of job satisfaction among Japanese white-collar workers

In the present study, we conducted a cross-sectional study of male white-collar workers in Japan, and evaluated the relative importance of work and non-work factors in deciding the level of subject's job satisfaction. Survey data collected from white-collar workers at a large steel company in Osaka, Japan were analyzed. The results show that work factors play a more important role in predicting the subject's work satisfaction than do non- work factors. The majority of significant predictors of job satisfaction were related to company controlled working conditions rather than variables under the direct control of the individual. The results imply that the level of job satisfaction among the workers can be more effectively improved through the implementation of some basic policies by the company than through efforts of the workers.