Most Kiwis happy with their job - research

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About three in four Kiwi workers are happy in their jobs, with those in Gisborne being the most content, new employment research shows.

Latest findings from Roy Morgan research show 77 per cent of Kiwi workers are either satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs - more than the number of Australians with the same opinions.

Those who worked in Gisborne, were most likely to be happy - with nearly 47 per cent of people in the region responding in a positive way about their jobs.

Workers in Nelson were likely to be the least content, with 5.5 per cent of respondents saying they were dissatisfied.

Pip Elliott, general manager of Roy Morgan Research NZ, said the country's job satisfaction rate had increased in the past 10 years from 71.4 per cent.

"Overall, New Zealanders in paid employment are a contented bunch.

"Our findings indicate that an employee's job satisfaction is influenced by key certain factors. As expected, a healthy pay packet is one of them, but recognition for one's work is the most important," she said.

The research showed about 51 per cent of New Zealand workers rated their salary as good or very good, and almost all those people said they were satisfied with their job.

However, an even higher number of people were found to associate adequate recognition in the workplace with satisfaction in their job, the research noted.

Ms Elliott said a worker's sense of job security also affected how satisfied they were at work, particularly when many workplaces struggling in the current economic climate.

The research was based on samples of 9585 Australians in paid employment and 7620 New Zealanders aged 14 or older carried out between October 2012 and September this year.

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Workplace feelings:

* 1.8 per cent of Kiwis dissatisfied with their jobs

* 5 per cent very dissatisfied

* 60 per cent satisfied with their job recognition

* 52.3 per cent considered their job security to be good

Source: Roy Morgan