The number of middle managers looking for jobs has decreased since last year, according to the results of a survey released yesterday.

The global management consulting firm Accenture surveyed 217 middle managers and found that one in five (21%) is currently looking for another job, while a similar survey last year found that 38% were open to a new position.

In addition, 67% of respondents are extremely or very satisfied with working at their current organizations.

“Executives have recognized the inherent risks of having a workforce that lacks motivation and connection to the company’s goals and strategies,” said Ed Jensen, a partner in Accenture’s Human Performance practice. “In response, many companies have strengthened training and leadership development programs, enhanced management communications, and improved parental leave policies, spousal benefits, and other work/life benefits. As we emerge from the tough economic environment of the last few years, efforts such as these are critical to making middle managers more content.”

The survey also found that, of those who are currently looking for another job, almost 71% said that they plan to intensify their job search when the economy improves and the job market strengthens, compared with 64% last year.

In the current survey, almost half (49%) of respondents said they think the economy will strengthen in the next 12 months, versus 38% who said the same in last year’s survey.

Respondents who are looking for new jobs cited opportunities at other companies, rather than dissatisfaction with current jobs, as reasons to seek a new job.

Better pay or benefits, cited by 52%, topped the list of opportunities, followed by better conditions or job prospects (14%) and better training and development opportunities (13%). Only 12% named a lack of prospects and advancement at their current job, and just 3% said they would leave because of their boss.

Middle managers also gave their companies high marks in a variety of areas. When asked to choose functions that their companies managed extremely or very well, 67% cited working conditions, 61% chose communications between supervisors and subordinates, and 61% chose benefits.

These managers were slightly less complimentary about the way their companies managed training and development, compensation, and prospects for advancement, with 54%, 51%, and 50%, respectively, saying the functions were managed extremely or very well.

The area to which respondents gave the lowest rating was the management of flexible work arrangements, such as working from home, with only 37% saying it was managed extremely or very well. “The good news is that fewer middle managers are actively seeking new jobs, but with one out of every five currently looking for new opportunities, there is still work to be done,” said Mr. Jensen. Executives should continue to decrease their workforces’ vulnerability by identifying top performers and determining how to increase retention, he added.

“We’ve found, for example, that human performance leaders encourage experimentation and innovation and give key employees the authority and ability to act on changes that might affect the business,” Mr. Jensen said.

The survey was part of an ICR/International Communications Research omnibus survey conducted by phone this past July.