Anyone with a job these days is expected to count their blessing, but more Americans than ever say their jobs make them miserable, according to a study released yesterday.
Less than half of workers — 45 percent —feel satisfied with their job a steep drop from 61 percent The Conference Board found in 1987 when it conducted its first survey. But don’t rush to blame companies ordering employees to work harder for less.
“Through both economic boom and bust during the past two decades, our job satisfaction numbers have shown a consistent downward trend,” said Lynn Franco, director of the Consumer Research Center of The Conference Board.
Among employees’ complaints are uninteresting jobs, higher health care costs and salaries that shrink compared with inflation.
The rise in workplace unhappiness cut across all age and incomes, although the youngest group — under 25 — reached a record level of dissatisfaction. The Conference Board said the finding should be a “red flag” to any employer. One in five surveyed said they don’t think they’ll be in their job within a year.
