50+ Job Satisfaction Statistics, Facts & Trends in the Spotlight [2024]

December 27, 2023 0 Comments

Are you satisfied with your job? 

If yes, very satisfied or somewhat satisfied? 

If no. You are not the only one!

7% of employees are unsatisfied or very unsatisfied with their jobs.

7 million Americans are involved in dissatisfying part-time jobs that have no career development possibilities. 

Does lower satisfaction affect your employer too?

Yes! Due to job dissatisfaction in an average organization, there is 18% lower productivity and 15% lower profitability

What factors affect job satisfaction? How are your colleagues doing at work? Ready to find out?!

Top Job Satisfaction Statistics: Editor’s Pick

only 29% of hourly workers are satisfied with their jobs
  1. Over 100 million US employees confirmed being somewhat satisfied with their work. [5]
  2. People in healthcare and humanities find their jobs highly meaningful leading to job satisfaction. [8]
  3. 45% of millennials are satisfied with their jobs. [10]
  4. Flexibility is the key to job satisfaction as believed by 94% of people. [1]
  5. Dissatisfied and unhappy employees cost about $550 billion annually. [13]
  6. Satisfied employees are reported to be 13% more productive. [14]
  7. Only 30% or fewer workers report having high-meaning jobs. [7]
  8. Job satisfaction increases by 42% if companies improve work culture. [6]
  9. 39% of people who are paid low are satisfied with their jobs because they find their work meaningful. [7]

General Job Satisfaction Statistics

77% of employees are very satisfied or satisfied with their jobs, while 7% are unsatisfied or very unsatisfied. [4]

16% of workers are neutral on their job satisfaction levels. [4]

Are you passionate about your work?

Probably not! Only 20% of US citizens are passionate about their work. [5]

49% of US workers admitted to being very satisfied with their work, while 30% are somewhat satisfied. [5]

Over 100 million US employees confirmed being somewhat satisfied with their work. [5]

Flexibility is the key to job satisfaction as believed by 94% of people. [1]

Hybrid workers are the most satisfied workers, while remote workers reported being more satisfied with their jobs compared to in-office employees. [6]

57% of remote workers are satisfied with their jobs, while only 50% of in-office workers are satisfied with their jobs worldwide. [6]

job satisfaction statistics

Job Satisfaction Statistics By Industry and Profession

Are employees satisfied with their jobs in your industry?

  • Labor-intensive industries like restaurants have the lowest job satisfaction. [2]
  • People in healthcare and humanities find their jobs highly meaningful leading to job satisfaction. [8]
  • Jobs with a meaning of 90% and above include Clergy, Language, literature, teaching, surgeons, administrators, therapists, psychiatrists, anesthesiologists, and counselors. [7]
  • Workers with the satisfaction of 85% are in the following positions and professions: Clergy, education, administrators, therapists, pediatricians, cartographers, operators, and chief executives. [7]
  • Jobs with lower satisfaction levels (50% or less) have income as a major reason behind them, such jobs are: vendors, cashiers, cooks, parking lot attendants, dishwashers, cafeteria attendants, Hand pickers, and cleaners. [7]
  • Workers in the Clergy have the highest level of job satisfaction with a rate of 90%. [7]

Here we have reviewed workers’ sense of recognition and respect in different sectors:

SectorsPercentage of Workers who felt recognized
Government67%
Non-Profit65%
Self-Employed62%
Private42%

Job Satisfaction Statistics By Age Group and Education

  • Of employees in the age group of 18-34, only 31% feel completely satisfied with their work. [9]
  • 16% of employees aged between 18 and 34 are dissatisfied with their jobs. [9]
  • The employees aged between 50 and 64 are said to be most satisfied with 49% reporting completely content with their jobs. [9]
  • Of the employees between 18 and 29 years, only 26% of respondents consider their job as a career. [9]
  • 45% of millennials are satisfied with their jobs. [10]
  • People over the age of 65 who want to retire, are not very satisfied with their jobs. [9]
job satisfaction by age
  • Employees with a bachelor’s degree feel 30% more confident in their jobs than high school diplomas. [10]
  • 67% of employees with a bachelor’s degree or higher feel as though their job is secure, while only 59% of high school diploma or less. [10]
  • 69% of college graduates are confident in their tools and resources, while only 39% of noncollege graduates feel they have resources. [10]

Impacts of Job Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction

dissatisfied and unhappy employees cost about $550 billion annually

Are you aware, that 61% of American employees want to quit their current jobs in 2023? [11]

Wondering why?

Job dissatisfaction directly impacts employee engagement, performance, and productivity leading to high turnover rates and costing companies millions.

Dissatisfied and unhappy employees cost about $550 billion annually. [13]

7 million Americans are involved in dissatisfying part-time jobs that have no career development possibilities. [12]

Satisfied employees are reported to be 13% more productive. [14]

44% of Americans were looking for another job actively, while 15% were highly dissatisfied with their jobs as of 2021 data. [15]

Factors Determining Job Satisfaction

Do you also think that high-income jobs would be most satisfying? It may be. But high income is not the only factor.

Factors determining job satisfaction include:

Factors Affecting Job SatisfactionPercentage of Workers
Respect & Work Culture72%
Meaningfulness35%
Salary20%
Autonomy18%
Opportunity15%
Recognition12%
Health Benefits45%
Vacation38%
Retirement plan/ Pension37%

Respect in the job is the rising factor impacting job satisfaction for about 72% of people. [18]

Meaning of work and company culture are closely related to employees feeling worthy and respectful. [19]

A majority of Gen Z and millennials leave their jobs because there are no career growth and advancement opportunities which is leading to job dissatisfaction. [11]

LGBTQ+ employees were less satisfied with their jobs than their colleagues due to discrimination and discomfort. [3]

LGBTQ+ workers rated their employers 6% lower than the rest. [3]

Job satisfaction increases by 42% if companies improve work culture. [6]

Income and Meaning in Job Satisfaction Statistics

Low Income has always been a major reason behind Job dissatisfaction. 

But what income is considered satisfying?

People with a job that pays a salary of over $75k per year are 59% satisfied with their jobs. [16]

Workers who make $30k or below annually have lower job satisfaction. [16]

Out of all the employees earning $24,000 or less annually, only 28% agreed to be in good jobs. [16]

39% of people who are paid low are satisfied with their jobs because they find their work meaningful. [7]

It is surprising to note that 54.2% of US employees are ready to switch their current jobs to other high-paying jobs. [7]

Only 29% of hourly workers are satisfied with their jobs. [17

1 in 3 workers who make less than $25k have a satisfaction rate below 50%. [16]

Only 30% or fewer workers report having high-meaning jobs (with meaning rates of 70%). [7]

labor-intensive industries like restaurants have the lowest job satisfaction

Here we have compared income and meaning rates behind major jobs:

  • For a surgeon, with an average salary of $304k per year, job satisfaction is about 83%. [7]
  • With an average income of about $149k annually and meaning rates of 88%,  Pediatricians rated their job satisfaction as 85%. [7]
  • With an average income of about $126k annually and meaning rates of 74%, Chief Executives rated their job satisfaction as 85%. [7]
  • With an average income of about $19,700 annually and meaning rates of only 5%, Parking Lot Attendants rated their job satisfaction as 41%. [7]
  • 16 out of 22 jobs with meaning rates higher than 30% have job satisfaction levels lower than 60%. [7]

FAQs

How to measure job satisfaction?

As job satisfaction depends on many factors, there is no fixed formula to calculate it. Honest employee surveys are the best way to measure job satisfaction.

What are job satisfaction statistics in the US?

49% of US workers admitted to being very satisfied with their work, while 30% are somewhat satisfied. Over 100 million US employees confirmed being somewhat satisfied with their work.

What are crucial factors that improve job satisfaction?

To improve job satisfaction in the workplace, employers should focus on providing proper care and respect to their workers, as 72% of workers believe respect is important and highly affects their job satisfaction.

Other factors like good income, meaningfulness, autonomy, and opportunities are also important.

What are the most and least satisfying jobs?

The healthcare and humanities sectors have the highest number of satisfying jobs

Clergy, education, administrators, therapists, pediatricians, cartographers, operators, and chief executives are some of the highest satisfying jobs. 

What causes job dissatisfaction?

Job dissatisfaction is caused by a lack of respect and recognition at work, lack of good working conditions, lower income, no career advancement and growth opportunities, and not being involved in meaningful work. 

Conclusion 

Lower job satisfaction not only impacts a worker’s quality of life but also affects the organization.

Satisfied employees are reported to be 13% more productive and due to job dissatisfaction in an average organization, there is an 18% loss of productivity and a 15% loss of profitability. 

To improve job satisfaction in the workplace, employers should focus on providing recognition, and respect to their workers, as 72% of workers believe respect is important and highly affects their job, along with a good salary.

The healthcare and humanities sectors have the highest number of satisfying jobs, while labor-intensive industries like restaurants have the lowest job satisfaction. The new-age generation is looking for flexibility and growth opportunities in their jobs.

Sources

  1. Workforce.com work-life balance statistics
  2. Statista. Employee satisfaction in key industries 
  3. Glassdoor.com. The LGBTQ+ Employee Experience: Pride Month 2022
  4. Myperfectresume. Cracking the Code of Job Satisfaction: 2024 Study
  5. Pew Research Center. How Americans view their jobs | Pew Research Center
  6. Career Vision. Job Satisfaction Statistics – Career Vision
  7. Payscale.  Most and Least Meaningful Jobs Full List – PayScale
  8. Google Books. INCEESS 2020: Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Economics
  9. Pew Research Center. Young Adults at Work
  10.  Gallup.  Does Job Satisfaction Really Improve With Age?
  11. CNBC. Gen Z and millennials are leading ‘the big quit’ in 2023 — why nearly 70% plan to leave their jobs
  12.  CUNY Academic Works. 7 Million Americans Can’t Escape ‘Dead End’ Jobs
  13.  Forbes. How Much Are Your Disengaged Employees Costing You?
  14.  Phys.org. Happy workers are 13% more productive
  15.  Fast Company. How many workers plan to change jobs in 2021?
  16.  CNBC. Here is what makes workers the happiest at the age
  17.  Gallup. Hourly Workers Unhappier Than Salaried on Many Job Aspects 
  18.  CNN Money. What do employees want most? R-E-S-P-E-C-T
  19.  Justworks. 6 Surprising Statistics About Benefits Employees Want

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