Job Survey Finds Less Happiness, More Frustration for American Workers

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people in bubble A combined team from Yahoo! Finance and PARADE Magazine has released the Job Happiness Survey to determine how Americans feel about their jobs, corporate culture, careers, and future prospects. The survey uncovered several general key findings including that most Americans think they will not retire at age 65; most Americans would choose a different career if given the opportunity; and the majority think that hard work is not the best way to get ahead in the workplace.

Specifically, when asked when they expected to retire, 28 percent of respondents said between the ages of 66 and 70, 15 percent said between 65, and 13 percent said older than 76. Just 33 percent reported an expected retirement age of under 65 years.

Regarding career choices, 59 percent of respondents said that would choose a different career if they could go back in time. When given the work-life balance options of a better workspace or a better commute, 62 percent opted for a better workspace leaving 38 percent wanting an improved commute. When asked whether they would prefer a 5 percent raise or two weeks of vacation, 56 percent would take the raise where 44 percent would opt for more vacation.

Regarding financial safety nets, 27 percent of survey respondents said that they have no savings to rely on in case of unemployment, 26 percent have just one-to-three months of savings, 15 percent have four-to-six months, and 13 percent have at least a two-year financial cushion. More than half (51 percent) of employees said that the primary way to get ahead in their jobs is through internal politics. Just 27 percent felt hard work got promotions, 18 percent reported initiative as the primary method of growing their career, and 4 percent said creativity.

 

By Joshua Bjerke