Job Satisfaction Statistics

A recent Harris Interactive survey* uncovered the following statistics on American job satisfaction:

• Across America, 45 percent of workers say they are either satisfied or extremely satisfied with their jobs
• Only 20 percent feel very passionate about their jobs
• 33 percent believe they have reached a dead end in their career
• 21 percent are eager to change careers
• Older workers are the most satisfied and the most engaged in their work
• Younger workers are the most distressed and they feel the least amount of loyalty to their employers
• Small firm employees feel far more engaged in their work than their corporate counterparts
• Job security, health care coverage and professional development are valued above additional compensation

Career Vision offers suggestions for increasing job satisfaction:

• Become self-aware. Gaining an objective understanding of your abilities, preferences values and interests is a fundamental step in determining the best career fit.
• Benchmark the type of work you perform in your organization with comparable work in a similar organization.
• Identify what is detracting you from your job satisfaction.
• Learn how to talk to a manager about what is satisfying in your work or identify roles/responsibilities that are appealing.
• Develop a relationship with a career counselor who can provide objective feedback on career expectations.

*The New Employee/Employer Equation Survey was conducted by Harris Interactive, Inc., a leading market research firm, and included responses from a nationwide sample of 7,718 American employees 18 and over.