Not Gen Z or Millennials: This generation of Americans is the happiest at work

Generational divides seem to be playing an increasing pronounced role in American society and the world of work is no different. But while the experience is not universal, it seems like job satisfaction is on the rise.

A recent study from The Conference Board seeks to investigate how different generations view their jobs and the results were striking. A press release entitled Job Satisfaction Gap Widens Between Younger & Older Workers shows the extent to which older generations are more happy in their jobs than young people.

The study found a 15-percentage-point difference between those two groups. Only 57.4% of workers aged younger than 25 are satisfied with their jobs, but 72.4% of those aged 55 and older felt content. It seems like life is good for the Baby Boomer generation.

“This year’s results reveal a widening generational divide in how happy workers are in their jobs,” explained Allan Schweyer, Principal Researcher, Human Capital at The Conference Board.

“While mid- and late-career workers are reaping the benefits of improved leadership, manageable workloads, and meaningful work, younger workers are still searching for the right culture fit. This highlights a need for more personalized strategies to engage early-career talent.”

To an extent, however, this generational split is to be expected. Younger people will still be starting out in their career and will find themselves at the lower end of the corporate ladder, working more entry-level jobs for lower salaries.

Those 55 and older have had more opportunity to rise to more senior and better-paid positions, giving them greater job satisfaction.

But ignoring the inter-generational comparisons, the bigger picture is that workers are broadly more happy than previously. The overall job satisfaction level is now at the highest level that it has been since the survey began in 1987. In fact, in the last year the job satisfaction rate increased by 5.7 percentage points, the biggest single-year increase ever recorded.

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