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Workers report unhappy start to 2010

The UK’s expected return to growth will not alleviate the ‘prolonged New Year hangover’ for many workers, according to an employee survey released today.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) quarterly Employee Outlook survey has shown that UK workers are reporting lower job satisfaction levels and falling standards of living, despite the possibility of today’s GDP figures marking an end to the recession.

The survey, conducted by YouGov, shows job satisfaction levels have hit an all-time low of +35, down from +48 in Summer 2009, with a large proportion reporting a worsening of their standard of living in the last six months (29%).

Younger workers are particularly unhappy at work, with job satisfaction among 18-24 year-olds falling to just +5 from +44 in Summer 2009, and generally increasing proportionally with older age groups. Those aged 55-64 are the most satisfied at work, with a score of +55, exactly the same level as in Summer 2009.

Claire McCartney, CIPD lead adviser and co-author of Employee Outlook, said: “Job satisfaction among young people has been decimated by this recession. The fact they’ve grown up in an era of plenty, and have not seen anything like this before, may well partly explain why they’re so much unhappier than their older colleagues.

“But the lack of opportunities to learn new skills or make their first steps up the career ladder is also likely to be grinding them down. The stagnant labour market means people are not moving on and up as they would like, leaving many young people stranded in entry level jobs.”

The survey also found that 63% of workers believe it would be difficult or very difficult to find another job if they lost their current one. Almost a fifth think it is likely or very likely that they could lose their job as a result of the recession.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .