According to one work-placement provider there are plenty of unemployed people who would happily take their jobs.

“As for four in five people being unhappy at work, we have plenty of Port Stephens locals who are looking for work and would be happy to be there,” Joblink Plus Hunter region executive manager Jo-anne Wilson said.

“Today in Raymond Terrace and Salamander Bay there are over 500 people registered with Joblink Plus who want to work.”

The Australian Institute of Management (AIM) interviewed 500 organisations across Australia, covering more than 25,000 employees and 270 job roles, to formulate the  2016 National Salary Survey.

The survey found salaries grew three per cent on average in the past year which is a decrease from the 3.4 per cent increase reported in 2015.

It’s the lowest growth in pay since 2012. This downward trend is forecast to continue in 2017, especially in Queensland and Western Australia, both of which have been affected by the mining downturn.

The trend has hit the construction and manufacturing industries the hardest, with economists suggesting the mining boom disguised the national salary decrease.

There’s been a definite increase in unemployment Ms Wilson said since the Hunter Valley mining downturn.

“It’s true that the decrease in mining has hurt us in this region, but there are lots of opportunities as well,” she said.

“Local businesses are a huge part of the solution, as is the whole community.”

With less than a week to the 2016 Federal Budget, which is speculated to include a number of changes to superannuation concessions, the survey found one in three (34.5 per cent) Australian businesses are making contributions above the superannuation guarantee (9.5 per cent).

However, the proportion of employees who are salary sacrificing has dropped across the board since last year, suggesting Australian employees are putting less focus on their retirement, choosing instead to use their disposable incomes to maintain their current standard of living.