Employee dissatisfaction is at an all-time high, according to a national survey released Monday by the Conference Board, a New York-based private research group.In a survey of 5,000 U.S. households, more than half of all respondents said they dislike their current jobs, compared to less than 40 percent in a similar survey conducted 20 years ago.
These days, the lowest levels of job satisfaction are among younger workers, the survey found. Only 39 percent of respondents aged 25 and younger said they liked their current jobs — the lowest level in the survey’s 20-year history — compared to 45 percent for workers between 45 and 54.
By contrast, job-satisfaction levels are highest among older workers, with nearly half of all respondents between 55 and 64, and 65 and over, feeling satisfied by their employment situation.
Job-satisfaction levels tend to rise as the hours worked per week increase, survey results indicated, but at 60 or more hours, satisfaction levels drop again. Additionally, respondents who expect to remain in their current position a year from now reported higher satisfaction levels than those who see themselves working elsewhere.