[US] Majority of workers say their jobs fail 'quality' test

In the US, new research has revealed the high number of people who are employed but not thriving. With 60 per cent of respondents saying that their jobs fall short of what researchers define as “quality employment,” and lack essentials such as fair pay and pathways for growth, HR Grapevine reports.

Advocacy group Jobs for the Future (JFF) partnered with Gallup, the Families & Workers Fund, and the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research to measure how workers experience their jobs.

JFF reportedly contends that traditional government statistics, with a primary focus on wages and employment rates, fail to capture the true health of the labour market.

“We recognise that not only has the way we measure the economy not kept up with the way work and the economy is changing, but it has never been sufficient,” Molly Blankenship - director of solutions design and delivery at JFF - said. “The workforce is the engine of economic prosperity in the US, and this gives us a better look under the hood.”

JFF see a quality job meeting five key criteria: fair and stable pay, a safe and inclusive workplace, opportunities for growth, a sense of voice and agency, and a predictable structure.

Under this criterion, only 40 per cent of the more than 18,000 workers surveyed stated that they hold quality jobs. The remaining 60 per cent reported significant gaps in stability, pay, or development opportunities.

Around 62 per cent of respondents said their work schedules are unpredictable, while roughly one-third reported struggling financially. Only 27 per cent said their pay allows them to feel financially comfortable, while nearly 3 in 10 described themselves as “just getting by” or “finding it difficult to get by.”

Pay wasn’t the only area of concern. JFF found that employees also prioritise respect, safety, and chances for advancement, with about one in four workers saying their jobs offer no promotion or development opportunities.

Ms Blankenship reportedly said that these results reflect long-standing structural issues in the economy. 

“We suspected when we started this work that the majority of Americans were not in jobs that were helping them,” she added. “This data confirms what we suspected.”

The research echoes increasing evidence that suggests job quality, rather than quantity, continues to be a critical measure of workforce health and organisational performance.

Source: HR Grapevine

(Quotes via original reporting)

In the US, new research has revealed the high number of people who are employed but not thriving. With 60 per cent of respondents saying that their jobs fall short of what researchers define as “quality employment,” and lack essentials such as fair pay and pathways for growth, HR Grapevine reports.

Advocacy group Jobs for the Future (JFF) partnered with Gallup, the Families & Workers Fund, and the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research to measure how workers experience their jobs.

JFF reportedly contends that traditional government statistics, with a primary focus on wages and employment rates, fail to capture the true health of the labour market.

“We recognise that not only has the way we measure the economy not kept up with the way work and the economy is changing, but it has never been sufficient,” Molly Blankenship - director of solutions design and delivery at JFF - said. “The workforce is the engine of economic prosperity in the US, and this gives us a better look under the hood.”

JFF see a quality job meeting five key criteria: fair and stable pay, a safe and inclusive workplace, opportunities for growth, a sense of voice and agency, and a predictable structure.

Under this criterion, only 40 per cent of the more than 18,000 workers surveyed stated that they hold quality jobs. The remaining 60 per cent reported significant gaps in stability, pay, or development opportunities.

Around 62 per cent of respondents said their work schedules are unpredictable, while roughly one-third reported struggling financially. Only 27 per cent said their pay allows them to feel financially comfortable, while nearly 3 in 10 described themselves as “just getting by” or “finding it difficult to get by.”

Pay wasn’t the only area of concern. JFF found that employees also prioritise respect, safety, and chances for advancement, with about one in four workers saying their jobs offer no promotion or development opportunities.

Ms Blankenship reportedly said that these results reflect long-standing structural issues in the economy. 

“We suspected when we started this work that the majority of Americans were not in jobs that were helping them,” she added. “This data confirms what we suspected.”

The research echoes increasing evidence that suggests job quality, rather than quantity, continues to be a critical measure of workforce health and organisational performance.

Source: HR Grapevine

(Quotes via original reporting)