Does Age Matter in Job Satisfaction? the Case of U.S. Information Technology Professionals

ABSTRACT Many studies have examined the relationship between age and job satisfaction. These studies have revealed conflicting results. While some concluded that such relationship is positive and linear, others have concluded negative non-linear, U-shaped, or J-shaped, or no significant relationship. This study is to further investigate the impact of age on job satisfaction in a profession that has received less attention from researchers- that of information technology. A survey of 132 IT professionals in various Southern California organizations were conducted using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire "MSQ" short form to examine the effects of age on job satisfaction. This study accepted its null hypotheses that age does not play a role in job satisfaction among IT professionals in the United States. Suggestions for future research are also provided. This research contributes to job satisfaction literature by providing empirical findings regarding the relationship of age and job satisfaction. INTRODUCTION Job satisfaction literature is a rich one. It has been enriched with numerous empirical and meta-analysis study research. It is considered one ofthe most studied work related attitudes by many researchers in the fields of organizational behavior and human resources in private and public sectors (Bedeian, Ferris, & Kacmar, 1992; Clark 1997; Durst & DeSantis, 1997; Ellickson & Logsdon, 2001; Jung & Moon, 2007; Lewis, 1991; Ting, 1997; Wright & Kim, 2004). It is no surprise that more than 12,000 job satisfaction studies were published by the early 1990s (Kinicki, McKee-Ryan, Schriesheim, & Carson, 2002; Kreitner & Kinicki, 2007). However, very few researchers have studied the role of age in job satisfaction in the information technology industry in the United States or in other countries. Literature on the subject of age and job satisfaction has been general and not industry specific. This paper is focused on studying the role of age on job satisfaction of IT professionals out of a belief that every industry has its own particulars and specificity that differentiates it from other industries. Information technology professionals have not been a major focus of study as it pertains to the subject of job satisfaction (Ghazzawi, 2008a). According to Ghazzawi (2008a), today's literature provides few insights on the subject of job satisfaction in an industry that controls important aspects of our lives. The IT profession employs millions of people from all ages and in various positions and capacities with a mission to cope with the challenges of this borderless 24 hour a day world. The study is based on data collected from 132 IT professionals from various organizations in Southern California, using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire "MSQ" (the general satisfaction scale-the short form); the study tested the age role in job satisfaction through the use of descriptive statistics. The Purpose of this Study While many attempts to determine the age-job satisfaction relationship have been established and provided conflicting results, no study has examined the age-job satisfaction relationship and shape in the information technology. Therefore the purpose of the present study is to determine whether a relationship exists between age andjob satisfaction and what type of relationship exists. As mentioned earlier, the reason age and gender of IT professionals were the purpose of this study; is that this subject has received scant attention from researchers, despite the importance of this group's contribution to today's organization. THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE STUDY Over the years, many reports on workplace satisfaction based on a representative sample of 5,000 U.S. households have been published by The Conference Board X" Job Satisfaction Declines", 2007). These reports revealed that American employees are growing increasingly unhappy with their jobs ("Job Satisfaction Declines", 2007; The Conference Board, 2003; Olian, 2003; Shea, 2002; Stafford, 2007; "U. …