Nine out of ten American white-collar workers are somewhat satisfied or very satisfied with their current position, according to new research.
In 2024, survey respondents value work-life balance and a high salary, with pay being the top reason U.S. white-collar workers would quit their jobs.
Human resources employees are the most satisfied with their current role, while those who work in technology are the least satisfied of white-collar workers.
White-collar workers in hybrid roles are more satisfied than those in entirely in-person or fully remote roles.
The job market may be challenging, layoffs may be prevalent and ongoing return-to-office mandates may be frustrating swaths of employees.
Still, surprisingly, most white-collar workers (89%) are at least somewhat satisfied with their current positions.
That’s based on a new survey, conducted by Talker Research on behalf of USA Today Blueprint, of 1,000 white-collar workers who work a typical in-office job or are remote or hybrid employees who use a laptop to complete work. Of these survey respondents, 81% are employed full-time, 18% part-time and 1% per diem.
And it’s not just their current roles that white-collar workers are satisfied with. Survey respondents are also overwhelmingly somewhat or very satisfied with:
The quality of their leadership (81%).Their work-life balance (81%).Their job security (79%).Their time off policy (78%).Their potential for future growth (77%).Their benefits plan (76%).Their workload (76%).
The work-life balance satisfaction is particularly noteworthy, as the survey indicates it’s the most critical aspect of a job for both men (44%) and women (50%), though a high salary trails close behind.
Among survey participants, more males (93%) than females (85%) indicate they are somewhat or very satisfied with their role. But overwhelmingly, most white-collar workers surveyed say they are satisfied with their positions to some degree.
While white-collar workers are notably satisfied with their current positions, some industries yield more significant levels of satisfaction than others.
For instance, in the survey, 96% of respondents who work in human resources (HR) say they are satisfied with their role. Information technology (IT) is the only other industry where more than 9 out of 10 respondents (94%) are somewhat or very satisfied.
White-collar workers in financial services and entertainment (88% each) and food and beverage (86%) are also notably satisfied with their positions.
Even in industries with fewer satisfied employees, dissatisfaction levels are low. The tech industry has the lowest satisfaction levels, with 82% of workers saying they are somewhat or very satisfied.
But that doesn’t mean 18% are unsatisfied: 11% reported feeling neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, meaning only 6% indicated actual dissatisfaction in their careers.
It’s a similar story for white-collar workers in health and wellness, where the effects of the pandemic are still leaving doctors, nurses and others in the field feeling burnt out. While 83% of workers in the industry still reported satisfaction in the survey, 7% indicated some level of dissatisfaction.
Pay is the top reason U.S. white-collar workers would quit their jobs
Employees were in the driver’s seat in 2021 and 2022, leaving jobs for better opportunities elsewhere.
That slowed in 2023, with 12% fewer Americans leaving their jobs as employers scaled back remote benefits and began laying off significant portions of the workforce.
Even so, 44.5 million workers quit their jobs on their terms in 2023 for several reasons. But the most common reason white-collar employers are leaving their jobs?
Money. In fact, 50% of white-collar workers surveyed said they’d leave their current roles — roles that a majority of them are satisfied with — for better pay.
However, pay isn’t the only reason employees consider ditching their current employer. Other popular reasons for entertaining a change of jobs include:
Work-life balance (36%).Quality of leadership (29%).Job security (28%).Benefits (26%).
In 2024, American white-collar workers value work-life balance slightly more than a high salary, according to the survey of 1,000 white-collar employees across industries.
Nearly half (47.4%) named work-life balance one of the most important aspects of a job, while slightly fewer (46.9%) cited high salary.
More females (49.5%) prioritize work-life balance than males (43.6%). Males actually prioritize a high salary slightly more (44.2%) than they do work-life balance.
The most important aspect of a career by industry
Employee workplace values vary by industry. For instance, those in the financial services field overwhelmingly (and perhaps unsurprisingly) prioritize a high salary (56%) above all else. Similarly, those in entertainment (53%), IT (46%) and HR (48%) reported that a high salary was most important.
Similarly, 51% of respondents in the tech industry said a competitive salary was among the most important aspects. In comparison, work-life balance was the most popular choice for those in the food and beverage (41%), advertising and marketing (50%) and health and wellness (52%) industries.
Engineering and public relations (PR) respondents most commonly cited job security (50% and 54%, respectively) as the most important aspect.
Over half of American white-collar workers are not in their dream job
White-collar workers may be largely satisfied with their positions, but that doesn’t mean they’re working in their dream roles. The survey of 1,000 white-collar workers revealed that only 2 out of 5 (40%) respondents are in their dream role. Notably, 52% of males report working in their dream role, while only 33% of women report the same.
Our jobs are a huge part of our daily lives: Full-time employees spend 40 hours a week (likely more) actively working in their roles. Yet 60% of Americans surveyed are notin their dream role.
Chasing a dream role could impact an employee’s tenure with a company: 25% of white-collar workers told us they know what their dream job is and that they’re looking to move into it soon.
Another 14% have identified their dream role but don’t know the proper steps to take to get there, indicating an opportunity for employers to help their workers with career pathing.
65% of U.S. white-collar workers have experienced stress or burnout in the past 12 months
Several factors, including stress and burnout, can lead employees to seek out new opportunities elsewhere. This is a real problem plaguing the American workforce.
Just over 65% of white-collar workers in the survey told us they experienced work-related stress and burnout in the past year.
Nearly half of U.S. white-collar workers are on the job hunt
Managers and directors take note: Your current employees may be plotting their escape. Recruiters and hiring managers, now is the time to strike.
In the survey, nearly half of white-collar workers (49%) admitted they’ve looked for a job in the past six months. There is nearly an even split between males and females: 51% of males said they looked for jobs, while 48% of females said the same.
Fully in-office vs. hybrid vs. fully remote
Based on the survey of 1,000 white-collar workers, employees in hybrid roles (some in-office, some remote) are the most satisfied: 89% of hybrid workers report being somewhat or very satisfied with their job, compared to 88% of those who are fully in-office and 85% of those who are fully remote.
What’s important to these workers differs. For instance, work-life balance was the most commonly cited important job aspect for hybrid workers (54%) and fully remote workers (52%). High salary was the most common priority (44%) for fully in-office employees.
Fewer than half (47%) of fully remote employees reported having experienced stress or burnout in the past year, compared to 66% of hybrid workers and 70% of fully in-office workers.
Over three-quarters of white-collar workers are satisfied with their workplace benefit plans
By and large, white-collar workers are satisfied with their workplace benefits (health insurance, pension/retirement): 49% told us they’re very satisfied and another 27% said they’re somewhat satisfied.
Satisfaction varies by industry. More employees in advertising and marketing, as well as human resources, are satisfied (81%) than their counterparts. Financial service workers also have a higher-than-average percentage of employees who are satisfied with their benefits (80%).
Editorial Note: This story was originally published here.
