Report: Workers More Satisfied, But Hardly Happy
American workers are the most satisfied they've been since the recession began, but that doesn't mean most are happy.
According to a new report released by The Conference Board for The Nielsen Co., 47.2 percent of Americans were satisfied with their jobs as of fall 2011. That's up from 2010 and 2009 when the amount was 42.6 and 45.3 percent, respectively, but still lower than the 48.8 percent recorded in 2008.
"While we are seeing positive movement in the right direction, particularly as approximately 8 percent of U.S. citizens are unemployed, this trend may signal increased satisfaction with simply having a job rather than demonstrate increased engagement or happiness," said Rebecca Ray, senior vice president of human capital at The Conference Board. "The good news is that there are bright spots here, particularly regarding the internal initiatives and actions that chief human resources officers and their teams can drive through organizations and have large impacts."
The report found that 2005 was the last year that a majority of Americans – 52.1 percent – were happy at work, but that most have been dissatisfied since the turn of the century. There has been a downward trend in overall job satisfaction for the past 25 years. It was last above 60 percent in 1987.
The largest decline in overall job satisfaction since then has been among those 65 and older whose happiness rate was 46.1 percent in 2011, compared to 70.8 in 1987. That was reversed in 2011, when most satisfied workers were younger than 25 at 50.1 percent, up from 37 percent in 2010. And 50.1 percent of those aged 25 to 34 were satisfied with their jobs, up nearly 5 percentage points from the prior year.
Although many workers remain unsatisfied with their jobs, more are happy with job security, wages, promotion and vacation policies and are more interested in their jobs, according to the report. More than 55 percent were satisfied with their supervisor in 2011, up from 49.1 percent in 2010. Work environment approval had increased as well, up from 48 percent in 2010 to 58 percent in 2011.
Sore spots continue to be health care plans, with 40 percent being satisfied with what they've got, commute time and workloads. Only 32.5 percent of U.S. workers are satisfied with their workload and 57.5 percent are satisfied with their commute to work.
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