Analysis of the scales of Job Satisfaction in the service sector
Submitted: 2026-03-07
|Accepted: 2026-04-01
|Published: 2026-04-23
Copyright (c) 2026 Juan Martinez-Tomas, Carina Cuevas-Lopez
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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Keywords:
job satisfaction, measurement scales, validation studies, public service, scale assessment, global satisfaction, facet satisfaction, organizational behavior
Supporting agencies:
Abstract:
This study presents a systematic review of measurement scales for job satisfaction, focusing on identifying validated instruments suitable for public service contexts and Spanish-language environments. Through an analysis of papers indexed in Web of Science and Scopus databases, we identified and evaluated five primary measurement scales: the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (Weiss et al., 1967), the Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire – Job Satisfaction Subscale (Cammann et al., 1983), the Job Satisfaction Survey (Spector, 1985), the Job Diagnostic Survey (Hackman & Oldham, 1975), and the Job Satisfaction Scale (Warr et al., 1979). The review encompassed analysis of theoretical frameworks, methodological approaches, and validation studies, with special attention to construct validity and cross-cultural adaptations.
The findings indicate a historical evolution from facet-based measurement approaches toward global, shorter instruments, alongside a sustained debate between single-item and multi-item measures. The comparative analysis of scale items revealed varying conceptualisations of job satisfaction—global versus facet—with implications for measurement accuracy and practical utility. While traditional scales focus primarily on intrinsic and extrinsic satisfaction dimensions, more recent research increasingly supports the equivalence of global and facet approaches. Nonetheless, a significant gap persists in the availability of validated Spanish-language instruments and public-sector-specific measures. This review provides a foundation for selecting appropriate measurement tools and highlights the need for further validation studies in specific cultural and organisational contexts.
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