How was work today?
US workers are feeling very contented according to an annual survey from The Conference Board which put overall job satisfaction at 62.3% in 2022, the highest level on record.
The greatest satisfaction rate gains came in what the Board refers to as “experience of work” factors — American employees are now happier with their work/life balance and work load, for example, and contentment with compensation and workplace benefits also saw rises last year.
Mixed messages
We were surprised by this dataset, as it has often felt like things have been trending in the opposite direction recently, with increased talk of employee apathy, the rise of forums like r/antiwork on Reddit and trends like quiet quitting. However, researchers from the Board observed that US workers are beginning to “reap the rewards” of a multi-year tight labor market, as labor shortages have given the bargaining power back to employees in certain sectors.
All told, the satisfaction level of the American labor force has climbed in 12 consecutive surveys now, ever since hitting its lowest point in 2010 in the wake of the Great Recession when just 42.6% of workers were content in their career. That’s increased 19.7% in the years since, with 2022’s figure the highest since the survey began in 1987. The 1,680 workers surveyed were particularly satisfied with their commutes, their co-workers, the physical environment they worked in and job security.
While that headline result is broadly positive, the survey was only conducted in November which means it doesn't capture the most recent round of layoffs or the last 6 months of inflation. It also revealed a disparity between male and female work satisfaction, with women less satisfied in each of the 26 factors assessed.
