<![CDATA[Background: Employee job satisfaction is closely connected with the ability of labor-intensive manufacturing SMEs to maintain productivity and organizational continuity. Employees' evaluations of their jobs can be shaped by production demands, target pressure, and the compensation they receive. At UD. KA'E Collection, variations in employee performance provide a practical reason to examine whether work stress and compensation are associated with job satisfaction. Objective: This study investigates the relationships of work stress and compensation with employee job satisfaction at UD. KA'E Collection in Mojokerto Regency, considering both their combined and individual associations. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional correlational design was used. All 42 employees constituted the population and were included as respondents through saturated sampling. Data were obtained using a Likert-scale questionnaire and structured interviews and were analyzed by multiple linear regression with SPSS version 25. Results: Joint testing showed that Work Stress and Compensation were significantly associated with Job Satisfaction (F = 20.923 > F table = 3.238; Sig. = 0.000). Individually, Work Stress had a significant negative association with Job Satisfaction (t = -2.179; Sig. = 0.035), whereas Compensation had a significant positive association (t = 5.372; Sig. = 0.000). The R² value of 0.518 indicates that the two predictors explain 51.8% of the variation in Job Satisfaction. Conclusion: Employee job satisfaction at UD. KA'E Collection is therefore associated with both work-related pressure and the compensation received. Managing excessive work stress while maintaining an appropriate and equitable compensation system may help strengthen job satisfaction in small and medium manufacturing enterprises.]]>
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