Job satisfaction has narrowly ranked ahead of income among work priorities in Malta, according to findings from the 2026 State of the Nation survey reported on 4 September.
On a scale where 1 represented the highest priority and 5 the lowest, job satisfaction recorded a score of 2.37, while income followed closely at 2.46. Just 0.09 points separated the two.
Satisfaction and income lead work priorities
Both factors ranked ahead of job security, flexibility of working hours and appreciation at work.
The Business Picture reported that this was only the second time since 2021 that job satisfaction had ranked above income in the survey.
The narrow difference puts satisfaction and earnings close together at the top of the rankings. However, the figures should not be interpreted as showing that workers would accept lower pay in exchange for a more satisfying job. They measure the relative priority respondents gave to each factor.
More than 1,000 people surveyed
The wider State of the Nation survey included 1,064 respondents aged 16 and over, with statistician Vincent Marmarà presenting the findings.
Responses were collected between the third week of June and the second week of July 2026, meaning the results reflect views gathered earlier this summer.
While job satisfaction came out on top, the small gap between the two leading factors suggests that both the experience of work and earnings remain prominent considerations for respondents.
