MIS/IT executives are the least satisfied folks in the executive suite, according to a survey by career and recruiting firm ExecuNet, and nearly half of the more than 2100 executives queried expressed dissatisfaction with their employment situations.

Forty-eight percent all of executives surveyed said they aren't satisfied or are partially unsatisfied in their current jobs, according to ExecuNet. Of those dissatisfied execs, more than half are readying themselves to leave their current employers within the coming year. However, ExecuNet predicts that those wayward IT executives will have no problem finding new work.

"Given the pace at which companies are hiring executive-level talent this year, disgruntled executives won't have to look far in search of greener pastures," said Dave Opton, CEO of ExecuNet, in the release.

ExecuNet attributes MIS/IT execs' lack of job satisfaction to the ongoing quest for a seat at the executive table.

While MIS/IT executives found themselves at the bottom of the satisfaction list, both human resources staffers and CFO/comptrollers reported job satisfaction levels more than 20 percentage points higher than their IT counterparts. So the folks with fingers on the hiring/firing triggers, or who hold their organizations' purse strings, are finding it much easier to drag themselves out of bed each morning than CIOs, according to ExecuNet.

HR reps topped the satisfaction list (67 percent are satisfied), followed by CFO/comptrollers (63 percent), general management (47 percent), marketing (44 percent), sales (42 percent), and finally, MIS/IT executives (41 percent).

The leading five factors affecting executive job satisfaction across all disciplines were limited advancement opportunities, a lack of challenge/personal growth, differences with corporate culture, disagreements with the boss and compensation concerns, according to ExecuNet.

"While executive compensation continues to grab headlines, there are a host of other issues creating retention problems across corporate America," Orton said. "To be effective, initiatives designed to lower turnover at this level must take into account the drive and ambition that fuel the development of most executives."

Responses from 2149 executives, with an average salary of $US221,000, were collected last January and included in the survey. (Check out our list of CIO millionaires.) Of the 2149 respondents, 140 were MIS/IT executives. Of those executives, 41 percent were at director level; 37 percent were CIOs; and 22 percent were VPs.

More information on ExecuNet is available on its Web site.