Job satisfaction statistics every manager needs to know in 2023

With the average cost of hiring a new employee around $4,129, increasing job retention should be a huge priority for every organization. How to do this? The latest job satisfaction statistics prove it’s as simple (or complicated) as increasing employee satisfaction. 

‍

A quick definition of job satisfaction:
‍

‍Job satisfaction relates to the level of contentment an employee feels within their employment. This covers their satisfaction with their duties, team relationships, management, organizational policies, and how their job fulfills personal needs and values.

‍

Scheduling work team building sessions or virtual team building activities alone won’t be enough; it’s about shaping your entire employee experience. 

‍

Top job satisfaction statistics for quick reference

Need to pull a job satisfaction stat out of your back pocket? Here are our key findings:

‍

• Employees are 13% more productive when they’re happy.
• 60% of people report being detached at work.
• 19% of employees define their work experience as ‘miserable’.
• 48% would quit a job if it prevented them from enjoying their life.
• 41% of employees consider their organization’s career advancement opportunities a very important factor in their job satisfaction.

How employee happiness has evolved over the last 5 years

A study by TrackingHappiness revealed that 27% of a person’s life happiness could be explained by their happiness at work. The correlation did not fluctuate significantly between age and gender respondents. That’s a significant portion of your life’s contentment depending on how satisfied you are with your job.

What percentage of employees are happy at work?

Given the impact of job satisfaction on an employee’s overall life happiness, it’s shocking to discover that 60% of people report being detached at work. With 19% defining their experience as ‘miserable’. 

‍

That’s 60% of people having their overall life quality impacted by dissatisfaction in their job.

‍

In fact, only 33% of employees consider themselves to be thriving in their overall well-being. While 44% of employees say they experience stress a lot of the time at work. 

‍

With all this in mind, it should be no surprise that  31% of employees have “quiet quit” in 2022. Meaning they’ve disengaged from their roles and are only doing the bare minimum required.

‍

When it comes to employee happiness, workers are 13% more productive when they’re happy. So, it’s clear overall employee happiness should be a focus for all managers. 

‍

Job satisfaction statistics of the last few years: 2019-2023

Perhaps surprisingly, despite shortcomings in many areas, job satisfaction has grown steadily over the last few years, even in the face of the pandemic. In fact, job satisfaction is the highest recorded in 20 years and has increased for the 10th year in a row.

‍
Factors influencing job satisfaction 

There are a number of factors that influence overall job satisfaction. Metlife has defined five key areas: purposeful work, flexibility, social & supportive cultures, career development, and wellness programs & benefits. And the latest stats from a variety of recent studies agree:

‍

Purposeful Work 

• 77% of employees say values and purpose regarding sustainability, diversity, and transparency are important.
• 70% of employees say their personal sense of purpose is defined by their work, and when that work feels meaningful, they perform better. 

‍

Flexibility & work/life balance

• 94% of employees consider work-life balance important.
• 45% of people wouldn’t accept a job if it didn’t offer accommodating hours.
• More than half (61%) wouldn’t accept a position that would disrupt their work-life balance.
• 48% would quit a job if it prevented them from enjoying their life.

‍

Social & supportive cultures

• 34% of employees would quit if they found themselves in a toxic working environment.
• 54% of employees say they would quit if they didn’t feel they belonged.

‍

Career development/training

• 41% of employees consider their organization’s career advancement opportunities a very important factor in their job satisfaction. (Lorman)
• 74% of employees feel they aren’t reaching their full potential at work due to a lack of development opportunities. 

‍

Wellness programs & benefits

• 88% of employees say the quality and options of health benefits are important. 
• Employees are 70% more likely to remain loyal to their employer if they’re satisfied with their benefits.
• 34% of employees say they’re unsatisfied with their current job benefits, up from 28% in 2021.
• Employees who feel valued and cared for in the workplace are more than three times more likely to be happy at work. 
• When it comes to financial benefits, only 29% of hourly-paid workers and 41% of salaried workers feel completely satisfied with their pay. 
• 64% of employees would rather have a low-paid job they enjoyed than a well-paid job they hated.

Considering each of these five areas is crucial to growing a ‘holistically healthy’ workforce. With holistically healthy employees 74% more likely to be satisfied with their job.

‍

Other factors

• In a recent study of 35.000 woking adults, 92% found a sense of job security important.
• Age also plays a factor. Overall job satisfaction increases slightly with age, but Gallup reports it fails to register above 49% with any age group.

Statistics on satisfaction in remote vs. hybrid vs. on-site employees

In a 2022 report by Track Happiness, it was found workers who worked from home 100% of the time were 20% happier on average than those who couldn’t work from home.

‍

The same report also found:

• Millennials are happiest when working remotely.
• Returning to office-based work after the pandemic reduced employee happiness.
• For on-site workers, employee happiness decreases as commute time increases.

‍

When it comes to employee satisfaction in a hybrid workplace, 44% of workers favor a hybrid working model, according to the Remote Work and Compensation Pulse Survey from May 2021.

‍

Job satisfaction statistics by country

While it’s hard to track down world job satisfaction statistics, independent studies across the globe show how things are going in various regions.

‍

Take job satisfaction in the USA. According to Gallup, for all its challenges, the U.S. and Canada region remains the best region in the world to be an employee. Ranking No. 1 in employee engagement, job opportunities, well-being and income to live comfortably.

‍

When it comes to Europe, a study by UtilityBidder looked at the reviews from workers of some of the largest private employers across Europe and revealed the following countries with the highest job satisfaction in Europe:

‍

1. Finland
2. Iceland 
3. Norway
4. Denmark 
5. Sweden

‍

The UK was down at number 13.

‍

The lowest region for employee well-being? South Asia. Where only 11% of employees report that they are ‘thriving’.

‍

Job satisfaction in different professions

In 2021, FinanceOnline brought together job satisfaction statistics by profession using a mix of surveys. They revealed the following:

‍

The top 5 careers with the highest job satisfaction

1. Recruiting Manager
2. Sales Operations Manager
3. Product Designer
4. Marketing Assistant
5. Brand Manager / Data Scientist

‍

The top 5 most meaningful jobs

1. Clergy
2. English language & literature teacher
3. Surgeon
4. Directors, religious activities and education
5. Education administrators

‍

Want to dig deeper? Learn from the companies with the highest employee satisfaction.

‍

Improving job satisfaction through employee engagement 

The one thing that all these job satisfaction stats have in common? They’re all impacted by the employee experience. If you’re looking to shape your employee experience for the better and improve employee satisfaction, the first place to look is employee engagement. 

‍

Take a look at our archive full of articles to help further:

• The absolute best employee engagement apps
• Our top virtual employee engagement platforms of 2023
• What is the relationship between employee engagement and job satisfaction?
• 12 must-know models and theories on employee retention
• Employee engagement solutions: 10 platforms to consider

‍

Obsessed with stats? You might like this blog on 2023 employee engagement statistics.

‍

References

• https://www.trackinghappiness.com/remote-work-leads-to-happiness-study/
• https://workforceinsights.randstad.com/hubfs/Workmonitor/2023/Randstad_Workmonitor_2023.pdf?hsLang=nl 
• https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3470734 
• https://www.gallup.com/workplace/393623/state-global-workplace-report-2022.aspx?elqTrackId=3e23fdb2887f4bde973488822eaac8d9&elq=b0a0b6d30dce4c87baba2f3a610d0eeb&elqaid=8826&elqat=1&elqCampaignId= 
• https://www.utilitybidder.co.uk/compare-business-energy/countries-with-the-happiest-workers/
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2022/05/05/remote-work-increases-employee-happiness-by-20-new-study-finds/ 
• https://www.metlife.com/employee-benefit-trends/2022-employee-benefit-trends/?cid=prdp8c&utm_id=prdp8c&utm_source=pr&utm_medium=public_relations&utm_campaign=g_ebts_1q22_MetLife&utm_content=pr_ebts2022_MVP_PressRelease&promoid=prdp8c 
• https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/18/70percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-are-considering-leaving-their-jobs-soon.html 
• https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220902-the-search-for-meaning-at-work#:~:text=Separate%20McKinsey%20research%20from%202022,looking%20for%20a%20new%20job.
• https://www.lorman.com/blog/post/39-statistics-that-prove-the-value-of-employee-training#:~:text=34%25%20of%20employees%20are%20very,it%20to%20be%20very%20important.
• https://velocityglobal.com/blog/employee-benefits-statistics/
• https://news.gallup.com/poll/216746/hourly-workers-unhappier-salaried-job-aspects.aspx
• https://financesonline.com/job-satisfaction-statistics/
• https://news.gallup.com/poll/6778/does-job-satisfaction-really-improve-age.aspx