[Engineer Work Consciousness Survey] Trend Revealed: Higher Job Satisfaction Correlates with Greater "Joy and Enjoyment" in Work

Persol Technology & Innovation Inc. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President: Shinji Masaki; hereinafter: Persol Technology), which handles technology solutions business within the Persol Group, whose vision is "Work, and Smile.", conducted a "Engineer Work Consciousness Survey" targeting 1,200 engineers.

In recent years, with a declining working population and labor shortages, the importance of securing and retaining talent in companies has been increasing.

Concurrently, with the spread of remote work and other factors, work styles have become more diverse, and attention is being paid not only to ease of work but also to the importance of well-being, such as a sense of fulfillment and positive feelings towards one's job.

To achieve "improving engineers' work well-being" which our company aims for, this survey was conducted to clarify what aspects engineers are satisfied with amidst these changes and what factors lead to positive emotions.

This survey analyzed the actual state of work by focusing on engineers' job satisfaction and their emotional experiences of joy and fulfillment in their daily tasks. As a result, it was found that just over 40% of engineers are satisfied with their current jobs, and that higher job satisfaction tends to correlate with a greater sense of joy and enjoyment in daily work. Furthermore, while ease of work is a background factor for satisfaction, it was suggested that intrinsic factors such as "job fulfillment" may influence the quality of well-being.

Survey Overview

Survey Period: March 19 - March 25, 2026

Valid Responses: 1,200 (IT Engineers: 735, Manufacturing Engineers: 465)

Survey Method: Internet survey using monitors owned by a research company

Details of survey results can be found here:

d124595-91-c359d261805f8f1ab51e17c4695b76a7.pdf

*Please cite "Survey by Persol Technology & Innovation Inc." when using the survey results in this release.

Main Survey Findings

- Over 40% of engineers are satisfied with their current jobs

- Reasons for satisfaction are centered on ease of work, such as working hours and flexible work styles

- Higher job satisfaction correlates with a greater sense of "joy and enjoyment"

- "Job fulfillment" significantly impacts emotional well-being

- Those who utilize generative AI more tend to view their work more positively

Detailed Survey Results

1) Over 40% of engineers are satisfied with their current jobs

Regarding satisfaction with their current jobs, 9.3% responded "Satisfied" and 36.3% responded "Somewhat Satisfied," indicating that just over 40% of engineers are satisfied with their current work.

Satisfaction with Current Job

By age group, satisfaction was highest among those in their 60s at over 50%, while it remained around 40% for those in their 20s and 30s, showing a greater difference by age than by job type.

2) Reasons for satisfaction are centered on ease of work, such as "working hours" and "remote work/flex-time"

Reasons for satisfaction with current jobs were dominated by work-life balance related items, such as "working hours are of appropriate length" and "able to work flexibly."

On the other hand, items such as "good workplace relationships" and "feeling fulfillment/accomplishment from work" followed, suggesting that not only the environment but also the fulfillment derived from the work itself influences satisfaction.

Furthermore, the proportion of respondents who answered "feeling fulfillment/accomplishment from work" increased with age, with this trend being particularly strong among those aged 50 and over.

Reasons for Satisfaction with Current Job (Target: People satisfied with their current job)

3) Higher job satisfaction correlates with a greater sense of "joy and enjoyment"

Among all engineers, 33.2% felt joy and enjoyment in their daily work. In the group with high job satisfaction, over 60% experienced positive emotions, showing a trend where higher satisfaction leads to greater joy and enjoyment. However, even among those with high job satisfaction, there is a certain range in the degree to which they experience joy and enjoyment. These results suggest that while job satisfaction and emotional experiences are related, the underlying factors differ.

Sense of "Joy and Enjoyment" in Daily Work

4) "Job fulfillment" significantly impacts emotional well-being Analysis of the correlation with daily "joy and enjoyment" in work*1 revealed that among multiple factors, "job fulfillment" had the strongest association.

Fulfillment is easily linked to satisfaction with job content and a sense of accomplishment, and is considered an important element supporting positive emotions towards work.

*1 Multiple regression analysis was performed (a statistical method to analyze the relationship between multiple explanatory variables and a dependent variable).

Items Strongly Correlated with "Job Joy and Enjoyment"

*The graph shows the values of the standardized partial regression coefficients calculated by multiple regression analysis. The larger the value, the stronger the correlation with "job joy and enjoyment."

By age group, for those in their 20s and 30s, the "sense that one's work is helping someone" showed a relatively strong correlation with positive emotions, even more so than "job fulfillment." In contrast, for those in their 60s, "job fulfillment" was exceptionally high, and "appropriate working hours" also showed a relatively strong correlation.

These results suggest that for younger generations, experiencing how their work contributes to others or society is easily linked to daily positive emotions.

Meanwhile, for senior generations, it is thought that being able to work utilizing their accumulated experience under reasonable working hours leads to job joy and enjoyment.

[By Age Group] Items Strongly Correlated with "Job Joy and Enjoyment"

*The graph shows the values of the standardized partial regression coefficients calculated by multiple regression analysis. The larger the value, the stronger the correlation with "job joy and enjoyment."

5) Generative AI utilization shows a correlation with positive work perceptions

Looking at the frequency of generative AI use, the group that "uses it almost daily" in their daily work reported a higher percentage of experiencing joy and enjoyment in their jobs (43.0%) compared to the group that does not use it (22.0%).

While this survey does not indicate causality, it is conceivable that the utilization of generative AI leads to increased work efficiency and expanded options, which in turn contributes to the application of one's skills and ease of work progression.

It is also possible that those who regularly approach their work with positive emotions are more likely to actively adopt new technologies like generative AI, suggesting a mutual influence.

[By Generative AI Usage Frequency] Sense of "Job Joy and Enjoyment"

This survey revealed that engineers' work well-being is shaped by a combination of satisfaction with environmental factors such as ease of work, and intrinsic factors like job fulfillment and a sense of contribution. It also suggests that these feelings vary depending on career stage and work style.

As part of our efforts to create an environment where engineers can fully utilize their strengths in their own way, we are promoting the development of remote work and flextime systems, providing career support and skill development opportunities, and promoting the use of new technologies including generative AI, to support individual growth and performance.

Furthermore, we will continue to promote the creation of an environment where each individual can exert their strengths in their own way through support tailored to diverse positions, lifestyles, and careers, such as full-time employees, temporary staff, freelancers, and seniors.

About Persol Technology & Innovation Inc. < https://persol-xtech.co.jp/ >

Persol Technology & Innovation Inc. provides technical support to customers in all industries with specialized engineers in areas such as manufacturing (automotive, aerospace, industrial machinery, home appliances, robotics), IT (offering cross-sectional solutions from consulting to design and development), and security (including diagnostics, operations, and IoT). We aim to solve social issues by transforming how people and organizations work through the power of "cutting-edge technology."

About "PERSOL" < https://www.persol-group.co.jp/ >

As a "Company Creating "Work Well-being"," the Persol Group aims to "create 1 million better work opportunities by expanding human potential" by 2030.

We will create a society where everyone in the world can experience "Work, and Smile." by responding to the diverse needs of working people and expanding their potential.