Job Satisfaction Statistics for 2023
Job satisfaction is an individual’s level of fulfillment with their job. It’s influenced by various factors like work environment, relationships with colleagues and management, nature of work, salary and benefits, career advancement opportunities, job security, a work-life balance, etc. Job satisfaction can significantly impact an individual’s well-being and overall quality of life on the one hand and productivity and overall organizational success on the other hand.
So, this article reveals job satisfaction statistics you should know in 2023. We will examine what factors influence the level of job satisfaction the most, the importance of management, work arrangements, time off and stress at work, and other aspects.
Core job satisfaction facts
49% of Americans say they are very satisfied with their current job, with 30% being somewhat satisfied, 9% being somewhat dissatisfied and 6% very dissatisfied. Still, this percentage varies depending on the role itself, working conditions, and salary. [1]
Leadership, company culture, and work/life balance are the most important determinants of job satisfaction, taking 7.9%, 6.9%, and 6.1% accordingly out of overall job satisfaction (100%). [2]
Overall job satisfaction rose by 2.1% in 2022 compared to 2021 (62.3%). Many employed workers improved their overall satisfaction levels by switching to different jobs.
39% of people say their job is very important to their overall identity with 34% saying it is somewhat important and 27% reporting it’s not too or not at all important.
Almost 50% of Americans view their job as a career and 18% say it is a stepping stone to a career. Meanwhile, 30% describe their job as “just a job to get them by,” rather than a career, which is three in ten workers. [1]
Finally, about 51% of currently employed workers report they are passively or actively looking a new job. Particularly in the UK, almost 20% of UK workers reported to be likely to change their jobs in the next 12 months with 32% being moderately or slightly likely to switch and 16% are planning to leave the workforce temporarily or permanently. [3]
Three main reasons for seeking a new job are increased pay, improved well-being, and new opportunities to grow professionally.
Employee engagement
In 2022, employee engagement reached a record high of 23%, meaning more employees find their work meaningful and feel connected to their jobs. [4]
Regions with the most engagement employees are the US, Canada, and South Asia, while Europe and the UK have the lowest engagement levels.
On the other hand, 60% of employees around the world are “quiet quitters.” This means formally do their work but they don’t actively engage in the process and see no connection to their job or team. 41% of quiet quitters said they don’t the engagement or culture of their current job, 28% are not satisfied with pay and benefits, and 16% named wellbeing as the main issue.
Actively disengaged employees cause U.S. companies between $450 – $550 billion in lost productivity per year. At the same time, increasing a company’s engagement by just 10% can increase profits by $2,400 per employee per year. Highly engaged employees are almost 90% less likely to leave a company, preventing the costs spent on new hiring.
Hybrid vs remote vs office
Employees with hybrid work report higher job satisfaction compared to those who work from their office all the time–this is 63.4% compared to 61.2%. Meanwhile, People who work fully remotely have almost the same level of job satisfaction, as people who have hybrid work arrangements. [1]
Stress at work
In 2022-2023 work-related stress reached record levels with 44% of employees worldwide reporting to experience a lot of stress the previous day.
83% of Americans suffer from work-related stress, with 25% reporting workplace stress as the number one stress factor and 76% that it affects their personal relationships. [5]
As of 2020, 79% of British workers often experience work-related stress, which is 20% higher than two years before. Meanwhile, 55% of employees report to experience anxiety related to work, 43% face sleep issues and 30% turn to comfort eating. [1]
Overworking and time off
55% of employees reported responding to work emails outside of their normal hours at least sometimes, with 28% saying they do so often. Meanwhile, 33% say they rarely or never respond to work emails or messages outside of their work. Hours. [1]
48% of US workers say they typically take all the time off they have, while 46% say they take less time off than they are allowed. 52% say they don’t feel they need to take more time off, while 49% say they do not take more time off as they worry about falling behind at work. 43% say they would feel badly about their co-workers having to take on additional work.
Job satisfaction and management
80% of people who are satisfied with their management are likely to stay at their current job, compared with 27% who aren’t.
40% of employees who do not rate their managers highly have been interviewed for a new job in the last three months — compared to just 10% for those who do rate. [6]
21.5% of employees who don’t feel recognized when they do great work have been interviewed for a job in the last three months — compared to just 12.4% who do feel recognized.
Finally, 27% of workers who believe their company has a higher purpose than just profits are more likely to stay at their current jobs.
Meanwhile, people in a manager role are more likely to like their jobs, compared to non-managerial workers. These are 69% of managers reported to like (50%) or love (19%) their current job, while only 59% of non-managers like (41%) or love (18%) their current job.
In the UK, 26% of managers or supervisors report having no formal training before they became managers, while just 35% of managers enjoy regular management training. Furthermore, 52% of managers say their normal workload wasn’t reduced when they first became a manager. [7]
Job satisfaction and age & gender
In the UK, the younger generation is less likely to feel satisfied at work: 51% of Gen Z responded as satisfied by their current job, compared to 61% of Baby Boomers. [3]
In the US, workers aged 65 and higher are the most likely to say they are extremely or very satisfied with their job overall (67%) compared to 44% of people younger than 30 reported this. Meanwhile, 55% of workers 50 to 64 and 51% of people 30 to 49 (51%) say they are extremely or very satisfied with their job. [1]
Men are more satisfied than women with 64% of overall job satisfaction compared to 60.1% with wide gaps in job security, core benefits, communications, and mental health benefit policies. [1]
Meanwhile, 23% of women reported being discriminated against or being treated unfairly because of their gender, compared with 10% of men.
References:
[1] https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/03/30/how-americans-view-their-jobs/
[2] https://www.conference-board.org/pdfdownload.cfm?masterProductID=46114
[3] https://www.pwc.co.uk/press-room/press-releases/pwc-workforce-survey-20221.html
[4] https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
[5] https://www.perkbox.com/uk/resources/library/2020-workplace-stress-survey
[6] https://www.tinypulse.com/lt-employee-retention-report
[7] https://www.digits.co.uk/news/management-training-survey-results/
