In fact, workers in Denmark are by far the happiest employees on the planet, with nearly two thirds (61%) describing themselves as "very satisfied" with their job. Norwegians rank a close second with 54% very satisfied, followed by Americans (50% very satisfied). The only other people to have attained these heights of working life pleasure are urban Indians, with 55% describing themselves as "very satisfied."

In strict contrast, workers in the former Eastern Bloc countries fall a long way short of satisfaction, emerging on a par with low-ranking Asian workers. Barely one-in-ten Hungarians (9%), Ukrainians (10%), and Czechs (11%) report being "very satisfied" at their jobs. The rest of Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Republics, are only slightly more willing to give the highest marks to their worklives. The one happy exception is Slovenia, where nearly half (48%) of workers describe themselves as "very satisfied".

Falling somewhere in the middle of the ranking are Latin American workers, with the majority being "somewhat satisfied" with their jobs. Only those in urban Mexico showed a proportion of "very satisfied" workers (44%) approaching that typical of more affluent economies.

According to Gus Schattenberg, vice president of global research for Ipsos-Reid, "These results point to the importance of expectations and hopes as well as current conditions. The Americans and Scandinavians, as well as the new urban middle class in India, still see themselves on the top of the world—their economies are clicking, unemployment is low, and many workers are reaping the rewards." The research was conducted on 9,300 working-age adults in 39 countries in Summer 2000.