Labour costs account for 40 % of all the costs in German horticulture. Employee satisfaction has a significant impact on the economic and social sustainability of horticultural companies. Traditional linear relationships between environmental characteristics and subjective job satisfaction have been assumed in psychological research. Warr (2007) challenged this conception with the non-linear vitamin model. The present study examines the possibility of non-linear relationships between job characteristics and job satisfaction. For this purpose, a survey was carried out using an online and a paper-and-pencil questionnaire from August 2013 to February 2015. In addition, the preferences of employees (N=229), vocational and master craftsman scholars (N=205) and students of horticulture science (N=204) regarding job characteristics were examined. This article focuses on the later two. The relationships between characteristic values and work and life satisfaction are analysed and the results of the three groups are compared. The strongest relationships with job satisfaction can be observed for vocational and master craftsman scholars for the job features emotional dissonance and considerate leadership. Additionally, employers' fair treatment of the society as a whole has a strong impact on job satisfaction. The salary can be found only in the lower middle range. The data support the assumption of non-linear relationships between job characteristic values and satisfaction. Furthermore, the personal characteristics of the study participants are included in the analysis. The study indicates a change in the preference structure of employees, who in the future would prefer a good work–life balance in particular as well as other "soft" factors.