Workers in Ireland are the fourth happiest in the world and the happiest in the European Union, a new study shows.
The study by recruitment website Indeed reviewed 35 countries and was based on an analysis of five different elements contributing to job happiness.
These were work-life balance, quality of management, office culture, job security and advancement, and compensation and benefits - or pay.
Indeed's Job Happiness Index found that Columbia ranked top for job happiness while China ranked the lowest.
In a city-by-city study, Dublin came top in Europe, beating London, Stockholm and Rome into second, third and fourth places respectively.
Workers' ages also appeared to impact the survey's readings, with countries with older workers more uphappy at work, perhaps due to the fact that their responsibilities make work/life balance harder to achieve.
The survey found that top ranking jobs for happiness in Ireland included carpenter, builder, secretary and childcare assistant.
Meanwhile, almost three quarters of all Irish employees work longer than their contracted hours, a new survey shows.
The Working Hours Survey by recruiting consultancy Morgan McKinley shows that 73% of Irish professionals work beyond their contracted hours.
One in five work ten an additional hours per week, which adds up to an extra three months per year.
80% of workers said they were not compensated for working these extra hours, but more than 40% said they were more productive during that time.
Nearly half of respondents said more flexible working arrangements would help them, though many also said they had the option of working from home or having a flexible start and finish time.
The survey was conducted in February across a variety of professional sectors, including accounting and finance, financial services, technology, engineering, science and office support.
