OLDER worker, and women - some of the most contented workers - are now much more critical of the conditions attached to their work and are particularly unhappy with their working hours.

The findings were recorded in a new "Working in Britain" survey funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.

In the early 1990s, 61 per cent of older workers were "completely" or "fairly" satisfied with work. This has fallen to 48.6 per cent.

On hours worked the decline is dramatic. Only 25 per cent are satisfied with the hours they work now compared to 53 per cent earlier.

Women, vital to the size of the workforce,TM are also less happy at work, with 49 per cent now saying that they are completely or fairly satisfied, against 54 per cent eight years ago.

At the same time, there has been a significant increase in women who are very or completely dissatisfied with their work, from 2.2 per cent to 10 per cent. Just over 12 million women are in paid work and women are now almost as educationally well-qualified as men. But 43 per cent are in part time jobs and there are clear signs that women have not markedly improved their position relative to men.