EXPECTATIONS AND JOB-SATISFACTION OF LOCAL-GOVERNMENT PROFESSIONALS

Based on theories of job satisfaction and the motivating potential of professional work, we would expect public-sector professionals to expr ess a level of satisfaction higher than that of other workers, yet thi s is not clearly the case. While some previous research has found that professionals have higher levers of job satisfaction than lower-level workers, other studies indicate that public-sector professionals are less satisfied than their private-sector counterparts and are no more satisfied than blue-collar workers. This study surveys local-governmen t professionals (N = 125) in Colorado to determine their job satisfact ion and their expectations of intrinsic satisfaction from work. They r ated their work much higher in motivating potential than comparable gr oups of professionals and expressed significantly higher job satisfact ion. Although most said their expectations for interesting work were m ore than met on the job, a major fraction expressed unmet expectations for power and authority and for recognition. The findings confirm pre vious research showing the importance of social relations and intrinsi c factors in predicting job satisfaction but fail to support the gener alization that public-sector professionals experience problematically low job satisfaction or that they find their jobs relatively low in mo tivating potential.