To qualify as desirable, a job should pay at least W140 million a year, a straw poll by a jobsearch site suggests (US$1=W1,188). Some 63.2 percent of respondents in the online poll of 1,045 salaried workers unsurprisingly felt some jobs are better than others, and 55.2 percent cited money as the decisive factor.

Other criteria in the multiple-answer question were social status (51.2 percent), perks and working environment (34.8 percent), and stability (28.5 percent). Most respondents had negative perception of their own jobs, with 60.9 percent saying they work in low-value jobs, and 24.1 percent answering they do not know. Only 15 percent felt that their jobs are of high value.

Asked why they think their jobs are not up to much, 62.9 percent cited their low salary, followed by dire working conditions (44.5 percent), stress (37.1 percent), and poor social status (24.6 percent).

Among those who rated their job highly, 36.4 percent cited the opportunity to use their professional knowledge and expertise, and 25.3 percent the envy of others. Another 22.2 percent cited their high salary.