WASHINGTON — We can’t get no job satisfaction. Even Americans lucky enough to have work in this economy are becoming more unhappy with their jobs, according to a new survey that found only 45 percent of Americans are satisfied with their work.
That was the lowest level ever recorded by the Conference Board research group in more than 22 years of studying the issue. In 2008, 49 percent of those surveyed reported satisfaction with their jobs.
The drop in workers’ happiness can be partly blamed on the worst recession since the 1930s, which made it difficult for some people to find challenging and suitable jobs. But worker dissatisfaction has been on the rise for more than two decades:
• Just 51 percent consider their jobs to be interesting, down from nearly 70 percent in 1987.
• Incomes have not kept up with inflation.
• The soaring cost of health insurance has eaten into workers’ take-home pay. The Associated Press
