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New survey finds only 16.2% of Americans rate their job satisfaction 8/10
The surveyed workers highlighted access to mental health services, work-life balance and relationships with HR departments as the key determiners of job satisfaction.
Telling new research has revealed that Americans who enjoy their jobs are in the minority. While reasons for job satisfaction, or lack of it, varied across generations, flexible work options and the provision of mental health services routinely ranked as important issues for workers in the US.
Job satisfaction appears to be frighteningly low
According to data published by Forbes Advisor, only 16.2% of Americans in 2024 say that they would rate their job satisfaction an 8/10 or higher.
With pandemic restrictions now safely out of sight, the surviving hybrid-style world of work appears to have left a number of employees across the country feeling that they are not being appreciated by their employer, whether they work from home or on-site.
As per the report, 36% of workers in the States are reportedly experiencing stress, with 34% of staff claiming to feel underappreciated in their place of work.
Moreover, over a quarter (26%) of workers are grappling with anxiety, while one in five workers reported that they are enduring burnout.
What do people want from their employers in 2024?
A number of common themes become apparent when attempting to understand the reasons why so many modern-day workers appear unsatisfied.
Across all four of the surveyed generations (Gen-Z, Millennials, Gen-X and Baby Boomers), access to flexible work options and paid time off/vacation allowances routinely polled as the most important indicators of job satisfaction – suggesting those who are not satisfied with their jobs may not be accessing such benefits.
Moreover, mental health services are emerging as an important facet of the contemporary workplace, particularly among the younger generations.
Insurance coverage for mental health services and dedicated mental health process spaces in offices were among the top desired resources that employees look for their bosses to provide.
Workers also indicated that they want adequate opportunities to advance professionally, as well as the provision of a fair and diverse environment, in which all members of staff are treated equally and compensated correctly.
Gen-Z and Millennials are the least happiest generations
While Baby Boomers (those born around the mid-1950s to the late 60s) and Gen X (mid-60s to the early 80s) workers respectively scored 5.6 and 6.6 out of 10 for job satisfaction, the figures were significantly lower among the younger generations.
Those in the workforce born in the late 90s and early 2000s, Gen-Z, indicated an average job satisfaction score of 5.2, while the Millenials of the early 80s to the mid-90s stood at just 4.6 out of 10.
Though the exact reasons for the widespread lack of satisfaction among younger people were not clarified, the fact that Millenial workers ranked mental health resources as the most important benefit in terms of job satisfaction beyond flexi options and time off, perhaps indicates that poor mental health is something of a major problem among workers in that particular age bracket.
Given that senior workers are more likely to be in higher-paid positions of power, a lack of authority and job satisfaction could well also be a reason why younger members of staff are less likely to be happy at work.
