A recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, which polled nearly 5,400 employed adults in the United States, has shed light on the sentiments of American workers towards their jobs. The study, released on a Tuesday, revealed that a significant majority of respondents—88%—expressed a degree of satisfaction with their employment, with 50% claiming to be very satisfied and 38% somewhat satisfied. Among different demographic groups, white workers emerged as the most content, with 55% reporting high levels of job satisfaction. This figure was notably lower among Hispanic (44%), Black (43%), and English-speaking Asian workers (42%). Age also played a role, with the 65 and older cohort reporting the highest satisfaction at 67%, followed by those aged 50-64 at 56%. Middle and upper-income earners were slightly more likely to report being very satisfied, as were 42% of lower-income individuals.

When it came to specific aspects of their jobs, respondents generally indicated a positive outlook. A substantial majority reported satisfaction with their benefits, compensation, opportunities for advancement, training for skill development, and their relationships with both supervisors and peers. Furthermore, 69% of the surveyed workers felt a significant or moderate level of job security. However, there was a notable discontent among over a third of the respondents regarding their chances for promotion, with 25% being not too satisfied and 13% being not at all satisfied. Similarly, nearly a third of all participants expressed dissatisfaction with their pay, with 20% being not too satisfied and 10% being completely dissatisfied. The primary grievance among this group was that their wages had not kept up with the rising cost of living (80%), followed by the belief that their pay was too low for the quality (71%) and quantity (70%) of their work.

The Pew Research Center noted that the median income for a full-time, year-round worker in the US is $60,000, which is a 12% increase from the inflation-adjusted $53,580 in 2000. However, this median income is still below the inflation-adjusted $64,321 earned in 2020. The issue of inflation, particularly its impact on grocery prices, was a significant factor for many voters in the 2024 US election, as per AP VoteCast.

One possible explanation for the overall job satisfaction and security felt by US workers is the perception of being respected in the workplace. The survey found that a large proportion of workers felt respected by their colleagues (86%) and supervisors (82%) most or all of the time, with 72% reporting the same about their customers or clients. Workers in healthcare and social assistance were among those most likely to feel they received a fair amount of respect (56%), while those in hospitality, service, arts, entertainment, recreation, retail, and trade were the least likely to feel so.

Regarding job hunting, 63% of the Pew survey respondents indicated that they were not likely to seek new employment in the coming months. In contrast, 25% planned to do so, and 12% were undecided. The groups most likely to job hunt included Black workers, lower-income workers, and those aged 18-30, each comprising 37%. The least likely to seek new employment were white workers (20%), upper-income earners (17%), those aged 50-64 (16%), and those 65 and older (10%). The report also highlighted that workers who were dissatisfied with their jobs were significantly more likely to look for new employment (64%) compared to those who were extremely or very satisfied (11%). Additionally, the likelihood of seeking new employment decreased as job security perceptions improved. Among those who felt they had no job security, 58% were likely to look for new jobs.

Despite the varying intentions to seek new employment, 52% of respondents believed it would be challenging to find a job they desired, a significant increase from the 37% who felt the same in 2022. Pew researchers observed that while the proportions of workers who felt job security and those likely to look for new jobs remained unchanged from two years prior, workers were now much more likely to perceive it as difficult to secure their desired employment. This sentiment was consistent across all racial, income, age, educational, and gender groups, with the highest shares among those aged 18-29 and lower-income individuals.

The Pew survey, conducted in October, included US adults aged 18 and older who were employed for pay, either full- or part-time, with one job or a primary job, and were not self-employed. The report concluded with context from government data on how the characteristics of the US working-age population have evolved since 2000. Workers today are more likely to hold a college degree (45% vs 31% in 2000) and are older, with the median age increasing from 39 to 42. The percentage of workers aged 50 or older has also grown, from 24% to 34%. While white workers still constitute the majority of the workforce, their proportion has decreased from 71% to 60%. Conversely, Hispanic and Asian workers now represent a larger share (19% today vs 12% in 2000), while the share of Black workers has remained stable (12% today vs 11% in 2000). In terms of gender, women continue to make up approximately the same proportion (47% today vs 46% then). Lastly, foreign-born workers now account for 19% of the workforce, up from 13% in 2000.