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 possiblespecific occupational effectpossibly conditioned byresonanceeffects, as a theoretical point of departure, multivariate analysis is used to restate apparent occupational effect as occupationallybundledindividual‐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.