1、 FOR RELEASE DECEMBER 10,2024 Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay Younger and lower-income workers are among the least satisfied with their jobs;majorities say it would be hard to find the kind of job theyd want if they were looking today BY Luona Lin,Juliana Horowitz

2、 and Richard Fry FOR MEDIA OR OTHER INQUIRIES:Kim Parker,Director,Social Trends Research Juliana Horowitz,Senior Associate Director,Research Julia OHanlon,Communications Manager 202.419.4372 www.pewresearch.org RECOMMENDED CITATION Pew Research Center,December 2024,“Most Americans Feel Good About Th

3、eir Job Security but Not Their Pay”1 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan,nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues,attitudes and trends shaping the world.It does not take policy positions.The Center conducts publ

4、ic opinion polling,demographic research,computational social science research and other data-driven research.It studies politics and policy;news habits and media;the internet and technology;religion;race and ethnicity;international affairs;social,demographic and economic trends;science;research meth

5、odology and data science;and immigration and migration.Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts,its primary funder.Pew Research Center 2024 2 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org How we did this Pew Research Center conducted this study to better understand the experiences

6、of American workers.For most of the analysis in this report,we surveyed 5,273 U.S.adults who are employed part time or full time and who have only one job or have more than one but consider one of them to be their primary job.The survey was conducted Oct.7-13,2024.Everyone who took part is a member

7、of the Centers American Trends Panel(ATP),a group of people recruited through national,random sampling of residential addresses who have agreed to take surveys regularly.The survey was conducted either online or by telephone with a live interviewer.The survey is weighted to be representative of the

8、U.S.adult population by gender,race,ethnicity,partisan affiliation,education and other factors.Read more about the ATPs methodology.This report also includes an analysis of job availability,job characteristics and workforce demographics based of federal government data.Visit the methodology section

9、for more information on these data sources.Here are the questions used for this report,the topline and the survey methodology.3 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Terminology References to workers include those who are employed part time or full time and who have only one job or have more than

10、one but consider one of them to be their primary job.References to White,Black and Asian adults include those who are not Hispanic and identify as only one race.Hispanics are of any race.References to college graduates or people with a college degree comprise those with a bachelors degree or more ed

11、ucation.“Some college”includes those with an associate degree and those who attended college but did not obtain a degree.“High school”refers to those who have a high school diploma or its equivalent,such as a General Educational Development(GED)certificate.“Middle income”is defined here as two-third

12、s to double the median annual family income for panelists on the American Trends Panel.“Lower income”falls below that range;“upper income”falls above it.Read the methodology for more details.4 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Table of contents About Pew Research Center 1 How we did this 2 Ter

13、minology 3 Overview 5 1.Job satisfaction 11 2.How Americans view their jobs 19 3.Job security 24 4.Job skills and training 28 5.Key labor force trends 36 Acknowledgments 44 Methodology 45 5 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay Yo

14、unger and lower-income workers are among the least satisfied with their jobs;majorities say it would be hard to find the kind of job theyd want if they were looking today Amid low unemployment nationwide,U.S.workers are feeling good about their level of job security,and relatively few expect to look

15、 for a new job in the coming months,according to a new Pew Research Center survey.At the same time,only half of workers say they are extremely or very satisfied with their job overall.And a much smaller share are highly satisfied with their pay 30%,down from 34%last year.The survey,conducted Oct.7-1

16、3 among 5,273 employed U.S.adults,explores how workers see various aspects of their jobs,including how they assess the importance of certain skills and their own opportunities for further training.1 1 The analysis in this report is based on the 97%of U.S.workers97%of U.S.workers who are employed ful

17、l time or part time and who have only one job or have more than one but consider one of them to be their primary job.Job satisfaction is highest among White and older workers%of employed adults who are _ with their job overall *Estimates for Asian adults are representative of English speakers only.N

18、ote:Shares of respondents who didnt offer an answer are not shown.White,Black and Asian adults include those who report being only one race and are not Hispanic.Hispanics are of any race.Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not T

19、heir Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 50554344424348566738354041454041342712101714141711106All employedWhiteBlackHispanicAsian*Ages 18-2930-4950-6465+Extremely/Very satisfiedSomewhatsatisfiedNot too/Notat all satisfied6 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Key findings White and older workers are among th

20、e most satisfied with their job overall.55%of White workers say they are extremely or very satisfied,compared with 44%of Hispanic workers,43%of Black workers and 42%of Asian workers.Among workers ages 65 and older,two-thirds say they are highly satisfied with their job.Just 43%of workers ages 18 to

21、29 say the same.Workers with middle and upper family incomes are more likely than those with lower incomes to express high levels of job satisfaction(53%and 54%vs.42%).Among the 29%of workers who are not too or not at all satisfied with their pay,the top reason given is that their wages havent kept

22、up with increases in cost of living.Large shares also say their pay is too low for the quality(71%)or amount(70%)of work they do.54%say a major reason they are dissatisfied is that they dont earn enough to pay their bills.Lower-income workers who are dissatisfied with their pay are far more likely t

23、han those with middle and upper incomes to cite the fact that they dont earn enough to pay their bills(69%vs.51%and 30%).Large majorities of workers across all family income levels say their pay hasnt kept up with cost-of-living increases.Half of workers think of their current job as a career,while

24、15%say its a stepping stone to one.About a third(35%)say its just a job to get them by.Falling behind cost-of-living increases is top reason for workers dissatisfaction with pay Among employed adults who are not too/not at all satisfied with their pay,%saying each of the following is a major reason

25、Note:Based on those who are not self-employed.Other response options included“Minor reason”and“Not a reason.”Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 8071705428Their pay has not kept up with increase

26、s in the cost of livingTheir pay is too low for the quality of work they doThey dont earn enough to pay their billsTheir pay is too low for the amount of work they doThey are paid less than co-workers who do similar work7 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org 58%of workers with lower incomes say t

27、heir job is just something to get them by,compared with 31%of those with middle incomes and 17%of those with higher incomes.Workers ages 18 to 29 are less likely than those in older age groups to say they see their job as a career.Still,a majority of young workers say their job is either a career or

28、 a stepping stone.Half of workers ages 65 and older say their job is just something to get them by,larger than the shares of workers ages 50 to 64(34%),30 to 49(31%)and 18 to 29(38%)who say the same.Most workers(69%)feel that they have a great deal or a fair amount of job security.Another 17%say the

29、y have some job security,and 13%say they have little or none.75%of White workers say they have at least a fair amount of job security,compared with smaller majorities of Asian(62%),Black(58%)and Hispanic(57%)workers.While about seven-in-ten or more among upper-and middle-income workers say they have

30、 a great deal or a fair amount of job security(78%and 71%),a smaller share of lower-income workers(54%)say the same.Workers are now much more likely than in 2022 to say it would be difficult for them to get the kind of job theyd want if they were to look for a new one.52%of workers say this would be

31、 difficult,compared with 37%in 2022.Workers ages 18 to 29(58%)and those with lower incomes(62%)are especially likely to say this would be difficult for them.As was the case in 2022,most workers(63%)say theyre unlikely to look for a new job in the next six months.Most workers(70%)say they currently h

32、ave the education and training they need to get ahead Workers are more likely than in 2022 to say it would be hard to get a job theyd want if they were searching today%of employed adults saying it would be very/somewhat _ for them to get the kind of job theyd want if they were to look for a new job

33、today Note:Shares of respondents who didnt offer an answer are not shown.The 2022 figure was based on all employed adults;the 2024 figure is based on the 97%of employed adults who have only one job or a primary job.Source:Surveys of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About

34、 Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 52372639212320242022EasyDifficultNeither easy nor difficult8 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org in their job or career,while 30%say they need more education and training.Regardless of whether they say they need it,51%say they have receiv

35、ed training in the past 12 months,while a similar share(49%)say they have not.Among workers who say they need more education and training,28%say learning on the job would be the best way for them to get it.About a quarter say completing a certificate program(24%)or getting more formal education(24%)

36、would be the best way.Among workers who need training but didnt get any in the last year,many point to time and resource constraints as major reasons for not doing so.43%say they couldnt find the time,38%say they couldnt afford it and 28%say their employer wouldnt cover the cost.41%of workers with l

37、ower incomes and 43%of those with middle incomes who say they need but did not get training say they couldnt afford it.Only 11%of upper-income workers say the same.Time and resource constraints are workers top reasons for not getting extra job training Among employed adults who say they need more ed

38、ucation and training but have NOT taken a class or gotten extra training in the past 12 months,%saying each of the following is a major reason Note:Other response options included“Minor reason”and“Not a reason.”Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Thei

39、r Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 4338282316Couldnt find the time to do itCouldnt afford itEmployer wouldnt cover the costHavent found the type of training they needDidnt feel they needed to9 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org About four-in-ten workers(42%)say most Americans

40、have a great deal or a fair amount of respect for people who do the type of work they do.Workers with less education and lower incomes and those whose jobs involve manual or physical labor are among the least likely to say most Americans have a lot of respect for people who do their type of job.At t

41、he same time,majorities of workers across education and income levels and regardless of the type of work they do say their supervisors,co-workers and clients or customers treat them with respect all or most of the time.Workers with more education and higher incomes are among the most likely to say p

42、eople respect those who do the type of work they do%of employed adults saying that,in general,most people in this country have _ for people who do the type of work they do Note:Shares of respondents who didnt offer an answer are not shown.”Some college”includes those with an associate degree and tho

43、se who attended college but did not obtain a degree.Family income tiers are based on adjusted 2023 earnings.Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER Jump to read more about:Job satisfaction How Ameri

44、cans view their jobs Job security Job skills and training Key labor force trends 423845513342543433373533363223281814342213All employedSome college or lessBachelorsPostgradLower incomeMiddle incomeUpper incomeA great deal/A fair amount of respectSome respectNot much/No respect at all10 PEW RESEARCH

45、CENTER www.pewresearch.org What work looks like today In addition to the survey findings,the report uses government data to examine labor market changes in recent decades.Among the key trends:In 2023,the unemployment rate was 3.6%,one of the lowest in the past 70 years.Job tenure data shows that wor

46、kers are not job-hopping more than in the past.Wages are up compared with 2000 after adjusting for inflation.The shares of workers who are Asian,Hispanic,immigrants or have at least a bachelors degree have grown significantly since 2000.This reflects broader changes in the U.S.population overall.11

47、PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org 1.Job satisfaction Half of U.S.workers say they are extremely or very satisfied with their job overall.Another 38%say they are somewhat satisfied,and 12%are not too or not at all satisfied with their job.As was the case in 2023,self-employed workers(60%)are mo

48、re likely than those who are not self-employed(49%)to be highly satisfied with their job.There are also differences in the shares who say they are extremely or very satisfied by:Race and ethnicity:55%of White workers versus 44%of Hispanic workers,43%of Black workers and 42%of Asian workers.Age:67%of

49、 workers ages 65 and older versus 56%of those 50 to 64,48%of those 30 to 49 and 43%of those under 30.Income:54%of workers with higher family incomes and 53%of those with middle incomes versus 41%of those with lower incomes.Job satisfaction is highest among White,older and self-employed workers,as we

50、ll as those with middle or upper incomes%of employed adults who are _ with their job overall *Estimates for Asian adults are representative of English speakers only.Note:Shares of respondents who didnt offer an answer are not shown.White,Black and Asian adults include those who report being only one

51、 race and are not Hispanic.Hispanics are of any race.Family income tiers are based on adjusted 2023 earnings.Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 5055434442434856674253546049383540414540413427413

52、73732381210171414171110616119812All employedWhiteBlackHispanicAsian*Ages 18-2930-4950-6465+Lower incomeMiddle incomeUpper incomeSelf-employedNot self-employedExtremely/Very satisfiedSomewhatsatisfiedNot too/Not at all satisfied12 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org How workers feel about specifi

53、c aspects of their job Majorities of workers say they are highly satisfied with:Their relationship with their co-workers(64%)Their relationship with their manager or supervisor(59%)Their commute(58%among those who have a commute)When it comes to the amount of flexibility workers have,more say they a

54、re extremely or very satisfied with their flexibility to choose when they work their required hours(49%)than with their flexibility to work remotely(37%).In fact,40%of workers express dissatisfaction with the amount of flexibility they have to work remotely.Pay and opportunities for promotion are th

55、e two areas where workers express the lowest levels of satisfaction.Only 30%say they are extremely or very satisfied Among workers who are not self-employed,3 in 10 or fewer say they are highly satisfied with their pay and opportunities for promotion Among employed adults who are not self-employed,%

56、saying they are _ with each of the following *Excludes those who say they dont have a commute.*Refer to topline for full item wording.Note:Shares of respondents who didnt offer an answer are not shown.Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Secu

57、rity but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 49645958494945443737302638292925392931353920413512612171222232123402938Extremely/Very satisfiedSomewhatsatisfiedNot too/Not at all satisfiedTheir job overallTheir relationship with their co-workersTheir relationship with their manager orsupervisorTheir comm

58、ute*Their day-to-day tasks at workThe amount of feedback they receive*Their opportunities for training/ways to develop new skillsThe benefits their employer provides*How much they are paidTheir opportunities for promotion at workThe flexibility they have to choose when to work theirrequired hours*Th

59、eir flexibility to work remotely*13 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org with how much theyre paid.And about a quarter(26%)are highly satisfied with their opportunities for promotion at work.Differences by race and ethnicity,age,and income Just as overall job satisfaction varies across demographi

60、c groups,so do ratings of some specific aspects of work.Among those who are not self-employed,White workers are more likely than Black,Hispanic and Asian workers to say they are extremely or very satisfied with their relationship with their co-workers,their relationship with their manager or supervi

61、sor,their opportunities for training and ways to develop new skills,and how much they are paid.Workers ages 65 and older are the most likely to express high levels of satisfaction with their flexibility to choose when to work their required hours and with the amount of feedback they receive from the

62、ir manager or supervisor.And a larger share of higher-income workers than with those with middle or lower incomes say they are extremely or very satisfied with eight of the 11 items we asked about.The gaps between those with upper and lower incomes are particularly wide when it comes to benefits,fle

63、xibility to work remotely and pay.Changes in satisfaction since 2023 On seven of the nine items that were also asked last year,the shares of workers who express high levels of satisfaction have dropped by margins of 3 to 7 percentage points.For example,37%of workers now say they are extremely or ver

64、y satisfied with their opportunities for training or ways to develop new skills,down from 44%in February 2023.And about a quarter Wide income differences in satisfaction with benefits,pay,and flexibility to work remotely Among employed adults who are not self-employed,%saying they are extremely/very

65、 satisfied with each of the following Note:Other response options included“Somewhat satisfied,”“Not too satisfied”and“Not at all satisfied.”Family income tiers are based on adjusted 2023 earnings.Only items with differences of about 20 percentage points or more between upper-and lower-income workers

66、 are shown.Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 302921483628565044Lower incomeMiddle incomeUpper incomeThe benefits their employer provides them,such as health insurance and paid time offThe amou

67、nt of flexibility they have to work remotely How much they are paid14 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org(26%)say they are highly satisfied with their opportunities for promotion,compared with the already small share of 33%measured last year.There have also been drops in the shares saying they a

68、re extremely or very satisfied with the amount of feedback they get(-5 points),the benefits their employer provides(-4),how much they are paid(-4),their relationship with their coworkers(-3),and their relationship with their manager or supervisor(-3).Reasons for pay dissatisfaction One of the aspect

69、s of work that employed adults express the least satisfaction with is how much they are paid.Large majorities of workers who are not self-employed and who are not too or not at all satisfied with their pay cite each of the following as major reasons:Their pay hasnt kept up with increases in cost of

70、living(80%)Their pay is too low for the quality of work they do(71%)Their pay is too low for the amount of work they do(70%)Just over half(54%)say a major reason for their dissatisfaction with their pay is that they dont earn enough to pay their bills.A smaller share(28%)say they are paid less than

71、co-workers who do similar work.Differences by gender Majorities of men and women who are not too or not at all satisfied with how much they are paid cite their wages being too low for the quality and amount of work they do as major reasons for their dissatisfaction.But women are more likely than men

72、 to say these are major reasons.Additionally,women are more likely than men to point to not earning enough to pay their bills as a major reason for their dissatisfaction(61%vs.47%).8 in 10 workers who are dissatisfied with their pay point to its lack of pace with cost-of-living increases Among emplo

73、yed adults who not self-employed and who are not too/not at all satisfied with their pay,%saying each of the following is a major reason Note:Other response options included“Minor reason”and“Not a reason.”Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job

74、Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 8071705428Their pay has not kept up with increases in the cost of livingTheir pay is too low for the quality of work they doThey dont earn enough to pay their billsTheir pay is too low for the amount of work they doThey are paid less than co-workers who

75、 do similar work15 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org And while relatively small shares of both men and women say a major reason theyre dissatisfied is because they are paid less than co-workers who do similar work,women are more likely than men to cite this(32%vs.24%).Differences by income For

76、 the most part,workers across levels of family income who are dissatisfied with their pay give similar reasons for feeling this way.For example,about eight-in-ten workers with lower,middle and upper incomes say a major reason is that their pay hasnt kept up with cost-of-living increases.There are si

77、gnificant differences,however,in the shares that cite not earning enough to pay their bills.About seven-in-ten workers with lower incomes(69%)say this is a major reason they are dissatisfied with how much they are paid.Roughly half(51%)of those with middle incomes and 30%of upper-income workers say

78、the same.Most workers with lower incomes who are dissatisfied with their pay cite not earning enough to pay their bills as a major reason Among employed adults who are not self-employed and who are not too/not at all satisfied with their pay,%saying not earning enough to pay their bills is a major r

79、eason Note:Other response options included“Minor reason”and“Not a reason.”Family income tiers are based on adjusted 2023 earnings.Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 54695130All employedLower in

80、comeMiddle incomeUpper income16 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Do workers feel respected?By their supervisor,co-workers,customers or clients In addition to being highly satisfied with their workplace relationships,large shares of workers also say their co-workers(86%)and supervisors(82%)tre

81、at them with respect all or most of the time.About seven-in-ten(72%)say the same about their customers or clients.(These figures exclude those who say they dont have co-workers,supervisors,or clients or customers.)While large majorities of workers across demographic groups say they are treated with

82、respect all or most of the time,there are some differences in the shares saying this happens all of the time by:Race and ethnicity:White,Black and Hispanic workers are all more likely than Asian workers to say their supervisor and co-workers always treat them with respect.Hispanic workers are the mo

83、st likely to say theyre always treated with respect by their clients or customers,but relatively small shares in each racial and ethnic group(26%or fewer)say this is the case.Age:29%of workers ages 65 and older say their clients or customers always treat them with respect,compared with 23%or fewer a

84、mong those in younger age groups.Income:Half of upper-income workers say their supervisor treats them with respect all of the time,compared with 43%of those with middle incomes and 38%of those with lower incomes.And while 40%of upper-income workers say their co-workers always treat them with respect

85、,about a third of those with middle(35%)and lower(34%)incomes say the same.Education:50%of workers with at least a bachelors degree say their supervisor always treats them with respect,and 40%say the same about their co-workers.Among those without a four-year college degree,these shares are 39%and 3

86、3%,respectively.Most workers say they are treated with respect at work all or most of the time%of employed adults saying they are treated with respect by each of the following Note:Figures for each item exclude those who say they dont have a supervisor,co-workers,or customers or clients,respectively

87、.Other response options included“Some of the time,”“Rarely”and“Never.”Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 443620385052828672SupervisorCo-workersAll of the timeMost of the timeCustomers or client

88、sNet17 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org By most people in the U.S.When asked how much respect they think most Americans have for people who do the type of work they do,42%say most have a great deal or a fair amount of respect.Another 34%say most people have some respect,while 23%say most peop

89、le have not much or no respect for people who do the type of work they do.About half of workers with a postgraduate degree(51%)say most people have at least a fair amount of respect for people in their field,compared with 45%of those with a bachelors degree and 38%of those with some college or less

90、education.Upper-income workers are also more likely than those with middle or lower incomes to say most people have a great deal or a fair amount of respect for people in their field(54%vs.42%and 33%).Looking specifically at certain types of employers or industries:55%of those who work for a nonprof

91、it organization say most people have a great deal or a fair amount of respect,compared with 44%of those who work for the government,43%of those who are self-employed and 41%of those who work for a private company.Nonprofit workers and those with more education,higher incomes are among the most likel

92、y to say people respect those who do the type of work they do%of employed adults saying that,in general,most people in this country have _ for people who do the type of work they do Note:Shares of respondents who didnt offer an answer are not shown.“Some college”includes those with an associate degr

93、ee and those who attended college but did not obtain a degree.Family income tiers are based on adjusted 2023 earnings.Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 4238455133425455444143343337353336323434

94、34352328181434221311222523All employedSome college or lessBachelorsPostgradLower incomeMiddle incomeUpper incomeNon-profitGovernmentPrivate companySelf-employedA great deal/A fair amount of respectSome respectNot much/No respect at all18 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Workers in health care

95、 and social assistance fields are among the most likely to say that most people have at least a fair amount of respect(56%).Workers in the hospitality,service,arts,entertainment and recreation industries,along with those who work in retail or trade,are among the least likely to say most people have

96、a great deal or a fair amount of respect for people in their field.About four-in-ten workers in these industries say people dont have much respect or have no respect at all.Workers who say their job involves manual or physical labor are less likely than those who say it does not to say most people h

97、ave at least a fair amount of respect for people who do the type of work they do(38%vs.46%).19 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org 2.How Americans view their jobs When we asked workers how they see their job,half say they consider their current job as a career,while 15%say it is a stepping stone

98、 to a career.About a third(35%)say its just a job to get them by.Young workers are less likely than older workers to see their jobs as a career.Some 28%of workers ages 18 to 29 say this,while about half or more of those in older age groups say the same.Still,a majority of young workers say their job

99、 is either a career or a stepping stone.Workers attitudes about their job also differ by education.Most of those with a postgraduate degree(75%)view their job as a career,compared with 59%of those with a bachelors degree only,44%of those with some college education,and 35%of those with a high school

100、 diploma or less education.About half of workers with a high school diploma or less(51%)say their job is just something to get them by.There is a moderate gender difference on this question.More than half of men(54%)consider their job a career,compared with 46%of women.Most workers see their job as

101、a career or a stepping stone to one%of employed adults who think of their current job as Note:Shares of respondents who didnt offer an answer are not shown.“Some college”includes those with an associate degree and those who attended college but did not obtain a degree.Source:Survey of U.S.workers co

102、nducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 5054462855624935445975151417331541141717113532383831345051392414All employedMenWomenAges 18-2930-4950-6465+HS or lessSome collegeBachelorsPostgradA careerA stepping stone to a careerJust a

103、job to get them by20 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org How older workers see their jobs Workers ages 65 and older are the most likely age group to say their job is just something to get them by.Half say this is the case,compared with about four-in-ten or fewer in younger age groups.To further

104、explore older workers views,we asked those ages 65 and older why they are currently working.The majority(56%)say they work both because they need the money and because they want to work.Another 26%say they work mainly because they want to,while 17%say its mainly because they need the money.Older wor

105、kers reasons for working vary by education.Those with at least a bachelors degree are more likely than those with some college or less education to say they work mainly because they want to(33%vs.21%).In turn,older workers with some college or less education are more likely than those with at least

106、a bachelors degree to say they work mainly because they need the money(20%vs.12%).Majority of older workers stay in the workforce both because they need the money and they want to work Among employed adults ages 65 and older,%saying they are currently working mainly because Note:Shares of respondent

107、s who didnt offer an answer are not shown.“Some college”includes those with an associate degree and those who attended college but did not obtain a degree.Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 172

108、012262133565854All employed ages 65+Some college or lessBachelors degree+They need the moneyThey want to workBoth equally21 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Meeting expectations at work Most workers(76%)say they do more than whats expected of them at their job.Some 23%say they do only whats e

109、xpected,while 2%say they do less than whats expected of them.Older workers are more likely than younger workers to say they do more than whats expected of them.The vast majority of workers ages 50 and older(84%)say this,compared with 75%of workers ages 30 to 49,and 64%of workers 18 to 29.In turn,wor

110、kers ages 18 to 29 are the most likely to say they do only whats expected of them(33%)when compared with all older groups.For the most part,there are no significant differences by gender or education.Most workers say they do more than whats expected of them at work%of employed adults saying they do

111、_ of them at their job Note:Shares of respondents who didnt offer an answer are not shown.Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 7664758387233323161223111All employedAges 18-2930-4950-6465+More tha

112、n whats expected Only whats expectedLess than whats expected22 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Are workers being monitored and how do they feel about it?More than half(54%)of workers who are not self-employed say their employer monitors the time they start and finish working.About a third or

113、 more also say their employer monitors:Messages they send through employer-provided email accounts or messaging platforms(44%)How quickly they complete their tasks(43%)Their location while they are working(37%)How they use their work computer,such as the time they spend using apps or the websites th

114、ey visit(35%)A much smaller share(12%)says their employer monitors their activity on social media.2 The shares of workers who say they are monitored by their employer vary widely by workers educational attainment.For example,workers with some college or less education are more likely than those with

115、 at least a bachelors degree to say that their employer monitors the time they start and finish working(64%vs.40%),how quickly they complete tasks(48%vs.34%),and their location while working(41%vs.32%).For the most part,workers feel the amount of monitoring from their employer is appropriate:69%say

116、they think their employer monitors what they are doing about the right amount.2 Figures for messages sent through employer-provided email accounts or messaging platforms,use of a work computer,and activity on social media exclude those who say they dont have each of these things(under 20%for each it

117、em).Sizable shares of workers say their employer monitors aspects of work life Among employed adults who are not self-employed,%saying that,as far as they know,their employer monitors each of the following *Full question wording reads,“Messages you send through employer-provided email accounts or me

118、ssaging platforms.”Figure excludes those who say they dont have this.*Full question wording reads,“How you use your work computer,such as the time you spend using apps or the websites you visit.”Figure excludes those who say they dont have this.*Figure excludes those who say they do not use social m

119、edia.Note:Other response options included“No”and“Not sure.”Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 544443373512The time they start and finish workingTheir location while they are workingMessages the

120、y send through employer-provided accounts*How quickly they complete tasksHow they use their work computer*Their activity on social media*23 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Some 12%think their employer monitors them too closely,while 6%say their employer doesnt monitor them closely enough;13%

121、arent sure.Perhaps unsurprisingly,workers who say their employer monitors each of the activities listed above are more likely than those who say their employer is not tracking them to think their employer monitors them too closely.Those who say their employer monitors their social media use are espe

122、cially likely to say they are tracked too closely(28%hold this view,compared with 20%or fewer among those who say their employer monitors other aspects of their work).Still,even among those who say their employer monitors them,majorities describe it as the right amount.24 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pew

123、research.org 3.Job security Most workers(69%)feel that they currently have at least a fair amount of job security,with 33%saying they have a great deal of security.Another 17%say they have some job security,and 13%say they have little to none.White workers and those with upper incomes are among the

124、most likely to say they have a great deal of job security.About four-in-ten White workers(39%)say this,compared with 25%of Black workers and 22%each among Hispanic and Asian workers.And among upper-income workers,43%say they have a great deal of security in their job.About a third of those with midd

125、le incomes(34%)and a smaller share of those with lower incomes(22%)say the same.Perceptions of job security also vary by the type of employer workers have.Government workers are the most likely to say they have a great deal of job security(47%),followed by those who work at nonprofits(39%).The surve

126、y was conducted before the announcement of possible cuts to the federal workforce in the next presidential administration.About three-in-ten of those who work at a private company(29%)or who are self-employed(28%)feel they have a great deal of security in their job.These patterns also hold when look

127、ing at those who say they have at least a fair amount of job security.White and upper-income workers are most likely to say they have job security%of employed adults who feel they currently have _ of job security *Estimates for Asian adults are representative of English speakers only.Note:Figures ma

128、y not add to subtotals due to rounding.White,Black and Asian adults include those who report being only one race and are not Hispanic.Hispanics are of any race.Family income tiers are based on adjusted 2023 earnings.Other response options included“Some job security,”“A little job security”and“No job

129、 security at all.”Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 333925222222344336363335393337366975585762547178All employedWhiteBlackHispanicAsian*Lower incomeMiddle incomeUpper incomeA great dealA fair

130、amountNet25 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Workers sense of job security is virtually unchanged from 2022,when we last asked this question.3 In that survey,69%said they had at least a fair amount of job security,with 35%saying they felt a great deal of security.Some 16%felt they had some jo

131、b security,while 15%said they had little or none.Looking for a new job For the most part,workers have no near-term plans to look for a new job:At the time of the October survey,63%said they were unlikely to do so in the next six months.A quarter said they were at least somewhat likely to look for a

132、new job,while 12%said they were neither likely nor unlikely to do so.These figures are similar to what they were in 2022.The shares who said theyre very or somewhat likely to look for a new job in the coming months are higher among some groups:37%of Black workers and 30%each among Hispanic and Asian

133、 workers versus 20%of White workers 37%of workers ages 18 to 30 versus 26%of those ages 30 to 49,16%of those 50 to 64 and 10%of workers 65 and older 37%of workers with lower incomes versus 23%of those with middle incomes and 17%of those with upper incomes Its perhaps not surprising that workers who

134、are not too or not at all satisfied with their job are far more likely than those who are extremely or very satisfied to say theyre likely to look for a new job 3 The 2022 analysis was based on all employed adults,while the 2024 analysis is based on the 97%of employed adults who have only one job or

135、 who have more than one but consider one of them to be their primary job.1 in 4 workers say theyre likely to look for a new job in the coming months%of employed adults saying they are very/somewhat _ to look for a new job in the next six months *Estimates for Asian adults are representative of Engli

136、sh speakers only.Note:Shares of respondents who didnt offer an answer are not shown.White,Black and Asian adults include those who report being only one race and are not Hispanic.Hispanics are of any race.Family income tiers are based on adjusted 2023 earnings.Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted

137、Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 63694955554964742520373030372317121113151514139All employedWhiteBlackHispanicAsian*Lower incomeMiddle incomeUpper incomeLikelyUnlikelyNeither likely nor unlikely26 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresear

138、ch.org(64%vs.11%).About a third of those who are somewhat satisfied with their job(31%)say the same.The share saying theyre likely to look for a new job decreases as perceptions of job security grow more optimistic.About six-in-ten of those who say they have no job security at all(58%)say theyre lik

139、ely to look for a new job,compared with:50%of those with a little job security 33%of those with some job security 21%of those with a fair amount of job security 14%of those with a great deal of job security How easy or difficult would it be to find a new job?While the shares of workers who feel thei

140、r job is secure and who say theyre likely to look for a new job in the near future are unchanged from two years ago,workers are now much more likely than in 2022 to say it would be very or somewhat difficult for them to get the kind of job they would want if they were to look for a new one today.Abo

141、ut half of workers(52%)now say it would be difficult for them to find the kind of job they want,while 26%say this would be easy and 21%say it would be neither easy nor difficult.In 2022,similar shares of workers said it would be difficult(37%)as said it would be easy(39%)for them to find the kind of

142、 job they want if they were to look for a new one.The shares of workers saying it would be difficult for them to find a new job are up by double digits among men and women and across racial and ethnic groups,income tiers,and levels of educational attainment.This is also the case among workers in mos

143、t age groups.(The increase has been more modest,at 8 points,among workers ages 65 and older.)Workers are more likely than in 2022 to say it would be hard to get a job theyd want if they were searching today%of employed adults saying it would be very or somewhat _ for them to get the kind of job they

144、 want if they were to look for a new job today Note:Shares of respondents who didnt offer an answer are not shown.The 2022 figure is based on all employed adults;the 2024 figure is based on the 97%of employed adults with only one job or a primary job.Source:Surveys of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,

145、2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 52372639212320242022EasyDifficultNeither easy nor difficult27 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Still,some groups are more likely than others to say it would be difficult for them to find a new job if

146、 they were to look for one.A majority of workers ages 18 to 29(58%)say this would be difficult,compared with about half of those in older age groups.And while 62%of those with lower incomes say it would be difficult for them to find a new job,51%of those with middle incomes and 45%of those with uppe

147、r incomes say the same.28 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org 4.Job skills and training Most workers(70%)say they currently have the education and training they need to get ahead in their job or career.Still,a sizable share(30%)say they need more education and training.Not surprisingly,older wor

148、kers are more likely to say they have the training needed.The vast majority of workers ages 65 and older(86%)say this,larger than the shares among younger groups.Views also differ by educational attainment.While 80%of workers with postgraduate degree say they have the education and training needed,s

149、maller shares of those with a bachelors degree only(70%)or with some college education(64%)say the same.Workers with a high school diploma or less education are more likely than those with some college education to say they have the education and training they need(70%vs.64%).Most workers say they h

150、ave the education and training they need to get ahead in their job or career%of employed adults saying they _ to get ahead in their job or career Note:Shares of respondents who didnt offer an answer are not shown.“Some college”includes those with an associate degree and those who attended college bu

151、t did not obtain a degree.Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 303833231330363020706267768670647080All employedAges 18-2930-4950-6465+HS or lessSome collegeBachelorsPostgradNeed more education an

152、d trainingCurrently have the education and training they need29 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org The best way to get training and education Of the workers who say they need more education and training to get ahead,views are mixed on what would be the best way to get it.28%point to learning on

153、 the job as the best way.24%point to a certificate program.24%point to more formal education,such as a two-year,four-year or postgraduate degree.13%point to classes or online tutorials.Another 10%of workers say they are not sure what would be the best way for them to get training.Preferences about t

154、he best approach for further skills development differ by age.Among workers who say they need more training,those ages 18 to 29(31%)are more likely than those ages 30 to 49(22%)or 50 and older(21%)to say the best way would be for them to get more formal education.In turn,workers ages 30 to 49(15%)an

155、d those 50 and older(18%)are more likely than the younger group(7%)to say taking classes or watching online tutorials would be the best way to get the training they need.Workers with a high school diploma or less education stand out in their views about the best way to get further education and trai

156、ning.They are less likely than workers with some college or a bachelors degree only to see formal education as the best way to get the training they need(19%vs.26%and 30%).Workers with a high school diploma or less education are also more likely than What do workers see as the best way for them to g

157、et the education or training they need to get ahead in their job?Among employed adults who say they need more education and training,%saying _ would be the best way for them to get the education and training they need to get ahead in their job or career *Respondents received different options for fo

158、rmal education based on their education level,such as a two-year associate degree,a four-year college degree or a postgraduate/professional degree.Refer to topline for full question wording.Note:Shares of respondents who responded“Not sure”or didnt offer an answer are not shown.Source:Survey of U.S.

159、workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 2829272624232623243122211371518All employedAges 18-2930-4950+Learning on the jobCompleting a certificateprogramGetting more formal education*Taking classes or watching online tuto

160、rials30 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org other groups to say they are not sure what would be the best way for them to get the training the need(15%vs.7%to 9%among other groups).Whos most likely to get training?Regardless of whether they say they need additional training,about half of workers(

161、51%)say they have taken a class or gotten extra training in the past 12 months to learn,maintain or improve their job skills.Roughly the same share(49%)say they have not done this.Among workers who say they need more education and training:53%say they have taken a class or gotten training in the pas

162、t 12 months,while 47%say they have not.Most with a postgraduate degree(73%)say they got training in the past year,compared with 53%of those with a bachelors degree only and 50%of those with some college or less education.About half of workers say they have taken a class or gotten job training in the

163、 past year Among employed adults,%saying they _ to learn,maintain or improve job skills in the past 12 months Note:Share of respondents who didnt offer an answer(0.5%)is not shown.Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pa

164、y”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 51%49%Have NOT taken a class or gotten extra trainingHave taken a class or gotten extra training31 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Reasons for getting training Among all workers who have taken a class or gotten extra training in the last 12 months,a majority say a major

165、 reason they did so was to keep up with field or industry requirements(62%).Many also point to employer requirements as a reason(45%).About half(52%)say a major reason they took a class or received training is to improve their job performance.And about three-in-ten or fewer point to wage or job oppo

166、rtunities such as earning more money(31%),helping them get a new job(20%)or advancing them toward a promotion(19%)as major reasons.Workers cite industry requirements and improving job performance as top reasons for getting job training Among employed adults who have taken a class or gotten extra tra

167、ining in the past 12 months,%saying each of the following is a major reason Note:Other response options included“Minor reason”and“Not a reason.”Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 625245312019To

168、 keep up with requirements in their field or industryTo improve their job performanceBecause their employer required itTo earn more moneyTo help them get a new jobTo get a promotion32 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Younger workers are more likely than older workers to point to wages and job

169、 opportunities as major reasons they got training.Among workers who have gotten training in the past year,those ages 18 to 29 are the most likely age group to say each of the following is a major reason they did so:Earning more money:44%versus 34%of those ages 30 to 49,16%of those 50 to 64,and 10%of

170、 those 65 and older.Helping them get a new job:34%versus 21%,9%and 3%.Getting a promotion:30%versus 21%,8%and 2%.Younger workers are more likely to point to wages,new job opportunities as reasons they get training Among employed adults who have taken a class or gotten extra training in the past 12 m

171、onths,%saying each of the following is a major reason Note:Other response options included“Minor reason”and“Not a reason.”Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 44343034212116981032Ages 18-2930-495

172、0-6465+To earn more moneyTo help them get a new jobTo get a promotion33 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Reasons for not getting training We also asked workers who have not taken a class or gotten training the past 12 months why they havent done this.About a third(35%)say they didnt feel they

173、 needed to.Among workers who say they need more training but havent taken a class or gotten extra training in the last 12 months,many point to time and resource constraints as major reasons.43%say they couldnt find the time to do it.38%say they couldnt afford it.28%say their employer wouldnt cover t

174、he cost.Some 23%say a major reason is that they havent found the type of training they need,and a smaller share(16%)say they didnt feel they needed it.Workers with lower and middle incomes are more likely than those with upper incomes to face economic barriers to training.Sizable shares of lower-and

175、 middle-income workers(41%and 43%)who report they need but didnt get training say they couldnt afford it.Just 11%of those with upper incomes say the same.Among workers who need job training but didnt get any in the last year,many say lack of time,resources are reasons Among employed adults who say t

176、hey need more education and training but have NOT taken a class or gotten extra training in the past 12 months,%saying each of the following is a major reason Note:Other response options included“Minor reason”and“Not a reason.”Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel

177、 Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 4338282316Couldnt find the time to do itCouldnt afford itEmployer wouldnt cover the costHavent found the type of training they needDidnt feel they needed to34 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org What are the most important skil

178、ls in todays economy?We asked workers to rate the importance of nine skills a worker might need to be successful in todays economy.Workers rate the following skills as the most important:Interpersonal skills(85%say this is extremely or very important)Written and spoken communication skills(85%)Criti

179、cal thinking skills(84%)Smaller majorities place great importance on basic computer skills(72%)and management and leadership skills(58%).Fewer than half of workers say the following skills are extremely or very important:The ability to do physical or manual labor(44%)Skills to operate,build,or repai

180、r machinery or equipment(41%)High-level math,analytical or computer skills(39%)Skills to understand and use artificial intelligence tools or technology(35%)Workers views on the importance of skills vary by education and the nature of their jobs.For example,82%of workers with at least a bachelors deg

181、ree place great importance on basic computer skills,compared with 66%of those with some college or less education.Interpersonal skills,communication and critical thinking rated as most important for workers today%of employed adults saying each of the following is _ for a worker to be successful in t

182、odays economy in general *Refer to topline for full question wording.Note:Figures may not add up to subtotals due to rounding.Other response options included“Somewhat important,”“Not too important”and“Not at all important.”Source:Survey of U.S.workers conducted Oct.7-13,2024.“Most Americans Feel Goo

183、d About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 474647382216161212373937353728252823Extremely importantVery importantInterpersonal skills*Written and spoken communication skillsCritical thinking skills*Basic computer skills*Management or leadership skillsThe ability to do physical o

184、r manual labor or use hand toolsSkills to operate,build,or repair machinery or equipmentHigh-level math,analytical or computer skillsSkills to understand and use artificial intelligence tools or technologyNET85858472584441393535 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org And by double-digit differences

185、,those who do manual or physical labor at their job are more likely than those who do not to say the following skills are extremely or very important for a worker to be successful in todays economy:The ability to do physical or manual work or use hand tools(58%vs.31%)Skills to operate,build,or repai

186、r machinery or equipment(48%vs.34%)36 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org 5.Key labor force trends Given how central work is to the lives of many Americans,the federal government carefully and consistently collects information on job availability,job characteristics and the demographics of the w

187、orkforce.This chapter presents some of the key indicators collected by federal agencies and,when available,how they have changed over the past couple of decades.These topics include:The share of U.S.workers who are looking for work,and how long employees have worked for their current employer How mu

188、ch workers earn,how they are paid,and how much control they have over their work goals and processes How the age diversity,racial and ethnic diversity,and education of the U.S.workforce has changed in recent decades How easy is it to find and keep a job?National unemployment rate The standard measur

189、e of the availability of jobs is the national unemployment rate,or the share of the labor force who is looking for work.A low unemployment rate implies that it is relatively easy for job seekers to secure employment.In 2023,unemployment was 3.6%.Over the past seven decades,there have been very few y

190、ears with an unemployment rate lower than that.Though unemployment has ticked up during 2024,it remains relatively low 4.1%in October 2024.Unemployment is near a 20-year low%of U.S.labor force looking for work Note:Reflects annual unemployment rates.Values are labeled for 2000,2010,2019 and 2023.Sou

191、rce:Bureau of Labor Statistics.“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 4.09.73.73.60510200020102020%2001 RECESSSIONGREAT RECESSIONCOVID-19 RECESSION202337 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org By comparison,unemployment peaked at 9.7%in 2010 after m

192、illions of workers lost their jobs in the Great Recession that began in December 2007.4 Job tenure Job tenure data collected by the government also indicates that jobs have become more secure over the last few decades and that workers are not job-hopping more than in the past.Every other January,the

193、 U.S.Census Bureau asks workers how long they have been with their current employer.In January 2022,about a third of workers ages 18 and older(34%)reported that they had been with their current employer less than three years,while about one quarter(27%)had been with their employer 10 years or more.T

194、he average tenure of todays workers is not much different than what was reported by workers 20 years ago.The tenure data captures workers who choose to leave their job(if they quit or job-hop)as well as those who leave involuntarily(if they get fired).Job tenure appears to have increased during the

195、Great Recession.For example,in January 2008,35%of workers had been with their employer less than three years.But by 2010,31%of workers reported that short of tenure.During economic downturns,workers may stick with their current employer due to the lack of good alternative job opportunities.Furthermo

196、re,employees with short tenures are the ones who are most likely to be terminated during a recession and thus no longer included in the tenure calculation.4 Peak unemployment was 10.6%in January 2010;9.7%represents the average annual unemployment rate for that year.Job tenure among adults hasnt chan

197、ged much over the decades%of employed adults who have been with their current employer for Note:Employed adults refer to employed wage and salary workers.Based on workers who arent self-employed.Source:Pew Research Center analysis of Current Population Survey Job Tenure Supplements(IPUMS).“Most Amer

198、icans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 393835363531323234343434272726262729302929292827200020042008201220162020LESS THAN 3 YEARS10 YEARS OR MORE202238 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Job tenure among adult workers partly reflects the characteristics of

199、 the workforce.Over many decades,the workforce has aged;that tends to boost the average job tenure,as older workers generally stay in their jobs longer than younger workers.Still,the job tenure of 18-to 34-year-old workers has not changed much over time.This suggests that todays young workers do not

200、 job-hop to a greater extent than young workers of the past.Job characteristics How has pay changed over time?The past decade or so has been beneficial for workers in general.Unemployment has been trending down and employers have had difficulty finding workers to fill both lower-skilled and higher-s

201、killed jobs.As a result employers have had to pay higher wages to find the workers they need.Today the typical adult working full-time,year-round earns about$60,000 a year.5 Thats a 12%pay boost above what they earned in 2000($53,480 after adjusting for inflation).6 5“Full-time,year-round”workers re

202、fer to those who worked 35 hours per week or more and at least 50 weeks in the past year.The median divides workers into two groups,with half earning more than the median and half earning less.6 In our last major overview of the American workplace,published in 2016,we noted that U.S.workers overall

203、had not experienced much of a pay raise,as median annual earnings of full-time,full-year workers rose only 6%between 1980 and 2015.39 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Earnings outcomes are less rosy,however,over the short term.Since 2020,inflation has heated up and workers pay overall has not

204、 kept up.In 2021,the median adult full-time,year-round worker earned$64,321 after adjusting for inflation,above the$60,000 earned today.The 2021 figure refers to the earnings of workers during calendar year 2020.In 2020 there were 14 million fewer full-time,full-year workers than in 2019,the largest

205、 year-to-year decline on record.The Census Bureau asserts that the employment decline and earnings increase from 2019 to 2020 together suggest that many of the jobs lost due to the pandemic were lower-paying jobs,bumping up the estimated 2021 median earnings.How are workers paid?By far,wages and sal

206、aries are the most common type of pay arrangement.In 2023,97%of workers ages 18 and older reported receiving this type of pay.Other types of pay included:Bonuses(10%of workers received this type of pay)Commissions(5%)Overtime pay(5%)Tips(2%)Pay arrangements vary by occupation,and workers can report

207、multiple types of earnings.Decision-making on the job Another important aspect of work is the degree to which workers make their own decisions,or their autonomy on the job.The Federal Reserve has recently begun collecting information on job autonomy.Inflation-adjusted earnings have modestly increase

208、d the past 20 years Median annual earnings of full-time,full-year employed adults,in 2023 dollars Note:Values are labeled for 2000,2021 and 2024.Median annual earnings are based on earnings and work status during the previous calendar year and limited to civilians ages 18 and older who worked full t

209、ime,full year.Source:Pew Research Center analysis of Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement(IPUMS).“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER$53,480$64,321$60,000200020102020 2024202140 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org In

210、2023,workers said they had more autonomy to choose how to complete their tasks than to choose which tasks to complete.Among workers ages 25 and older:58%said they often or always chose how to complete tasks.36%said they often or always chose which tasks to work on.Workers with more formal education

211、reported greater autonomy on the job than their counterparts with less education.For example,40%of workers with at least a bachelors degree said they often or always choose which tasks to work on versus 27%of workers who have not completed high school.Having multiple jobs In 2023,just 5%of workers a

212、ges 25 and older had multiple jobs.This share has not changed much over time:In 2000,6%of workers ages 25 and older held multiple jobs.7 Surprisingly,workers in this age group who have completed at least a bachelors degree are more likely to work multiple jobs(6%in 2023)than those who have not compl

213、eted high school(3%).7 These figures are annual averages based on monthly data collected in the Current Population Survey.The U.S.Census Bureau periodically reports on workers who have multiple jobs using the Survey of Income Program and Participation(SIPP).The rates based on SIPP tend to be higher,

214、but still around 10%or lower.The degree of autonomy on the job varies across dimensions%of employed adults ages 25 and older saying they always/often choose Note:Among adults who work for someone else.Other response options included“Sometimes,”“Rarely”and“Never.”“Some college”includes those with an

215、associate degree and those who attended college but did not obtain a degree.Source:Pew Research Center analysis of 2023 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking(SHED).“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 36273233405845515366WHAT TASKS TO WO

216、RK ONHOW TO COMPLETE TASKSAll employedHS gradHS gradSome collegeBachelors+All employedHS gradHS gradSome collegeBachelors+41 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Industry of employment Employment growth over the last two decades has been much greater in some industries than others.For example,20%

217、of workers are employed in the health care and social assistance industries as of 2023,up from 16%in 2000.This partly reflects the countrys aging population.In turn,a smaller share of workers are now employed in manufacturing,mining,construction and agriculture(20%,down from 25%in 2000).Certificates

218、 and licenses Many workers demonstrate mastery of the skills or knowledge needed for a job by holding a professional certificate or license.Today,26%of workers ages 25 and older have a professional certificate or license,and the share has not changed much since 2015(when the Census Bureau began aski

219、ng about certificates).Often a worker needs a formal degree to qualify for a certificate,so workers with a formal degree are more likely to have a professional certificate than those without one.About a third of workers ages 25 and older with at least a bachelors degree(35%)have a professional certi

220、ficate or license,compared with 8%of those who have not finished high school.U.S.employment trends in major industries%of employed adults in each industry Source:Pew Research Center analysis of 2023 Current Population Survey basic monthly files(IPUMS).“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Securi

221、ty but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 520202597855162527877520232000Hospitaility,service,arts,entertainment and recreationHealth care and social assitanceManufacturing,mining,construction and agricultureTransportation,utilites,wholesale and retail tradeEducationFinance insurance and real estateBu

222、siness and repair servicesPublic sector42 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org How the adult workforce has changed since 2000 The countrys population is slowly changing,and the adult workforce has also changed in some similar ways over the past two decades:Education:45%of todays workers ages 25 a

223、nd older have at least a bachelors degree,compared with 31%in 2000.The share of workers who have some college education,a high school diploma or did not finish high school have each declined since 2000.Age:The median age of an adult worker is 42,up from 39 in 2000.Today,more than a third of the adul

224、t workforce(34%)is age 50 or older,compared with 24%in 2000.Share of the workforce with a four-year college degree has increased%of employed adults ages 25 and older who have completed Note:“Some college”includes those with an associate degree and those who attended college but did not obtain a degr

225、ee.Source:Pew Research Center analysis of Current Population Survey basic monthly files(IPUMS).“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 10631252825314520002023Some collegeHS gradHS gradBachelors+43 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Race and ethni

226、city:Hispanic and Asian workers account for growing shares of the adult workforce.For example,19%of adult workers today are Hispanic,up from 12%in 2000;7%are Asian,up from 4%.White workers now make up 60%of the adult workforce,down from 71%in 2000,while the share of workers who are Black has not cha

227、nged much(12%today vs.11%in 2000).Nativity:19%of adult workers are immigrants,versus 13%in 2000.Gender:47%of the adult workforce are women,similar to 46%in 2000.Nearly 1 in 5 adult workers in the U.S.were born in another country%of employed adults who are foreign born Source:Pew Research Center anal

228、ysis of Current Population Survey basic monthly files(IPUMS).“Most Americans Feel Good About Their Job Security but Not Their Pay”PEW RESEARCH CENTER 19132023200044 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Acknowledgments This report is a collaborative effort based on the input and analysis of the fo

229、llowing individuals.Find related reports online at pewresearch.org/topic/economy-work.Kim Parker,Director of Social Trends Research Juliana Horowitz,Senior Associate Director,Research Richard Fry,Senior Economist Luona Lin,Research Associate Isabel Goddard,Research Associate Kiley Hurst,Research Ana

230、lyst Dana Braga,Research Analyst Reem Nadeem,Digital Producer Peter Bell,Design Director John Carlo Mandapat,Information Graphics Designer Anna Jackson,Editorial Assistant Julia OHanlon,Communications Manager Maya Pottiger,Communications Associate In addition,the project benefited greatly from the g

231、uidance of the Pew Research Center methodology team:Courtney Kennedy,Andrew Mercer,Ashley Amaya,Dorene Asare-Marfo,Dana Popky,Anna Brown and Arnold Lau.45 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Methodology The American Trends Panel survey methodology Overview Data in this report comes from Wave 157

232、 of the American Trends Panel(ATP),Pew Research Centers nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S.adults.The survey was conducted from Oct.7 to Oct.13,2024,among a sample of ATP members who indicated that they currently work either full or part time for pay.A total of 5,395 panelists

233、responded out of 6,490 who were sampled,for a survey-level response rate of 90%(AAPOR RR3).The cumulative response rate accounting for nonresponse to the recruitment surveys and attrition is 3%.The break-off rate among panelists who logged on to the survey and completed at least one item is 1%.The m

234、argin of sampling error for the full sample of 6,490 respondents is plus or minus 1.7 percentage points.SSRS conducted the survey for Pew Research Center via online(n=5,334)and live telephone(n=61)interviewing.Interviews were conducted in both English and Spanish.To learn more about the ATP,read“Abo

235、ut the American Trends Panel.”Panel recruitment Since 2018,the ATP has used address-based sampling(ABS)for recruitment.A study cover letter and a pre-incentive are mailed to a stratified,random sample of households selected from the U.S.Postal Services Computerized Delivery Sequence File.This Postal

236、 Service file has been estimated to cover 90%to 98%of the population.8 Within each sampled household,the adult with the next birthday is selected to participate.Other details of the ABS recruitment protocol have changed over time but are available upon request.9 Prior to 2018,the ATP was recruited u

237、sing landline and cellphone random-digit-dial surveys administered in English and Spanish.A national sample of U.S.adults has been recruited to the ATP approximately once per year since 2014.In some years,the recruitment has included additional efforts(known as an“oversample”)to improve the accuracy

238、 of data for underrepresented groups.For example,Hispanic adults,Black adults and Asian adults were oversampled in 2019,2022 and 2023,respectively.8 AAPOR Task Force on Address-based Sampling.2016.“AAPOR Report:Address-based Sampling.”9 Email pewsurveyspewresearch.org.46 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewr

239、esearch.org Sample design The overall target population for this survey was noninstitutionalized people ages 18 and older living in the United States,who work for pay either full time or part time.All active panel members who reported working either full or part-time for pay in ATP Wave 150(fielded

240、in July 2024),were invited to participate in this wave.Respondents were again asked about their current employment situation at the beginning of this survey,and those who indicated that they were not currently working for pay were screened out.Questionnaire development and testing The questionnaire

241、was developed by Pew Research Center in consultation with SSRS.The web program used for online respondents was rigorously tested on both PC and mobile devices by the SSRS project team and Pew Research Center researchers.The SSRS project team also populated test data that was analyzed in SPSS to ensu

242、re the logic and randomizations were working as intended before launching the survey.Incentives All respondents were offered a post-paid incentive for their participation.Respondents could choose to receive the post-paid incentive in the form of a check or gift code to A,T or W.Incentive amounts ran

243、ged from$5 to$20 depending on whether the respondent belongs to a part of the population that is harder or easier to reach.Differential incentive amounts were designed to increase panel survey participation among groups that traditionally have low survey response propensities.Data collection protoco

244、l The data collection field period for this survey was Oct.7 to Oct.13,2024.Surveys were conducted via self-administered web survey or by live telephone interviewing.For panelists who take surveys online:10 Postcard notifications were mailed to a subset on Oct.7.11 Survey invitations were sent out i

245、n two separate launches:soft launch and full launch.Sixty panelists were included in the soft launch,which began with an initial invitation sent on Oct.7.All remaining English-and Spanish-speaking sampled online panelists were included in the full launch and were sent an invitation on Oct.8.10 The A

246、TP does not use routers or chains in any part of its online data collection protocol,nor are they used to direct respondents to additional surveys.11 Postcard notifications for web panelists are sent to 1)panelists who were recruited within the last two years and 2)panelists recruited prior to the l

247、ast two years who opt to continue receiving postcard notifications.47 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Invitation and reminder dates for web respondents,ATP Wave 157 Soft launch Full launch Initial invitation October 7,2024 October 8,2024 First reminder October 10,2024 October 10,2024 Final r

248、eminder October 12,2024 October 12,2024 PEW RESEARCH CENTER Panelists participating online were sent an email invitation and up to two email reminders if they did not respond to the survey.ATP panelists who consented to SMS messages were sent an SMS invitation with a link to the survey and up to two

249、 SMS reminders.For panelists who take surveys over the phone with a live interviewer:Prenotification postcards were mailed on Oct.4.Soft launch took place on Oct.7 and involved dialing until a total of three interviews had been completed.All remaining English-and Spanish-speaking sampled phone panel

250、ists numbers were dialed throughout the remaining field period.Panelists who take surveys via phone can receive up to six calls from trained SSRS interviewers.Data quality checks To ensure high-quality data,Center researchers performed data quality checks to identify any respondents showing patterns

251、 of satisficing.This includes checking for whether respondents left questions blank at very high rates or always selected the first or last answer presented.As a result of this checking,two ATP respondents were removed from the survey dataset prior to weighting and analysis.Weighting The ATP data is

252、 weighted in a process that accounts for multiple stages of sampling and nonresponse that occur at different points in the panel survey process.First,each panelist begins with a base weight that reflects their probability of recruitment into the panel.Weighting parameters were based on the full set

253、of ATP members who were potentially eligible for inclusion in the sample prior to any screening.First,the base weights for all ATP members who responded to the 2024 Annual Profile Survey(Wave 150)were calibrated to align with the population benchmarks in the accompanying table to create a full-panel

254、 weight.48 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org The full-panel weight for panelists who completed the survey was calibrated to align with the distribution for the entire sample(including those who did not respond to Wave 157)on the following dimensions:age,gender,education,race/ethnicity,years li

255、ved in the U.S.,volunteerism,voter registration,frequency of internet use,religion,party affiliation,census region,and metropolitan status.Additionally,respondents employment status(whether they work full or part time for pay)as reported in Wave 157 was weighted to match the distribution from Wave 1

256、50.These weights were then trimmed at the 1st and 99th percentiles to reduce the loss in precision stemming from variance in the weights.Sampling errors and tests of statistical significance take into account the effect of weighting.American Trends Panel weighting dimensions for full-panel weight Va

257、riable Benchmark source Age(detailed)Age x Gender Education x Gender Education x Age Race/Ethnicity x Education Race/Ethnicity x Gender Black(alone or in combination)x Hispanic Born inside vs.outside the U.S.among Hispanics and Asian Americans Years lived in the U.S.Census region x Metropolitan stat

258、us 2022 American Community Survey(ACS)Volunteerism 2021 CPS Volunteering&Civic Life Supplement Voter registration 2020 CPS Voting and Registration Supplement Frequency of internet use Religious affiliation Party affiliation x Race/Ethnicity Party affiliation among registered voters 2024 National Pub

259、lic Opinion Reference Survey(NPORS)Note:Estimates from the ACS are based on noninstitutionalized adults.Voter registration is calculated using procedures from Hur,Achen(2013)and rescaled to include the total U.S.adult population.PEW RESEARCH CENTER 49 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org The foll

260、owing table shows the unweighted sample sizes and the error attributable to sampling that would be expected at the 95%level of confidence for different groups in the survey.Sample sizes and sampling errors for other subgroups are available upon request.In addition to sampling error,one should bear i

261、n mind that question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of opinion polls.Sample sizes and margins of error,ATP Wave 157 Group Unweighted sample size Plus or minus Total sample 5,395 1.7 percentage points All employed adults who have

262、 one job or multiple jobs and consider one their primary job 5,273 1.7 percentage points PEW RESEARCH CENTER 50 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Dispositions and response rates Final dispositions,ATP Wave 157 AAPOR code Total Completed interview 1.1 5,395 Eligible panelist,but broke off befor

263、e completion 2.1 40 Survey completed after close of the field period 2.27 0 Eligible,but other noninterview 2.30 0 Completed interview but was removed for data quality 2.90 2 Screener not completed 3.2 597 Screened out 4.1 456 Total panelists sampled for the survey 6,490 Completed interviews I 5,395

264、 Partial interviews P 0 Refusals R 40 Noncontact NC 0 Other O 2 Unknown household UH 0 Unknown other UO 597 Not eligible NE 456 Total 6,490 Est.eligibility rate among unscreened:e=(I+P+R+NC+O)/(I+P+R+NC+O+NE)92%AAPOR RR1=I/(I+P+R+NC+O+UH+UO)89%AAPOR RR3=I/(I+P+R+NC+O+e*(UH+UO)90%PEW RESEARCH CENTER

265、Cumulative response rate,ATP Wave 157 Total Weighted response rate to recruitment surveys 11%of recruitment survey respondents who agreed to join the panel,among those invited 73%of those agreeing to join who were active panelists at start of Wave 157 35%Response rate to Wave 157 survey 90%Cumulativ

266、e response rate 3%PEW RESEARCH CENTER 51 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org A note about the Asian adult sample This survey includes a total sample size of 389 employed Asian adults.The sample primarily includes English-speaking Asian adults and,therefore,may not be representative of the overal

267、l Asian adult population.Despite this limitation,it is important to report the views of Asian adults on the topics in this study.As always,Asian adults responses are incorporated into the general population figures throughout this report.How family income tiers are calculated Family income data repo

268、rted in this study is adjusted for household size and cost-of-living differences by geography.Panelists then are assigned to income tiers that are based on the median adjusted family income of all American Trends Panel members.The process uses the following steps:1.First,panelists are assigned to th

269、e midpoint of the income range they selected in a family income question that was measured on either the most recent annual profile survey or,for newly recruited panelists,their recruitment survey.This provides an approximate income value that can be used in calculations for the adjustment.2.Next,th

270、ese income values are adjusted for the cost of living in the geographic area where the panelist lives.This is calculated using price indexes published by the U.S.Bureau of Economic Analysis.These indexes,known as Regional Price Parities(RPP),compare the prices of goods and services across all U.S.me

271、tropolitan statistical areas as well as non-metro areas with the national average prices for the same goods and services.The most recent available data at the time of the annual profile survey is from 2022.Those who fall outside of metropolitan statistical areas are assigned the overall RPP for thei

272、r states non-metropolitan area.3.Family incomes are further adjusted for the number of people in a household using the methodology from Pew Research Centers previous work on the American middle class.This is done because a four-person household with an income of say,$50,000,faces a tighter budget co

273、nstraint than a two-person household with the same income.4.Panelists are then assigned an income tier.“Middle-income”adults are in families with adjusted family incomes that are between two-thirds and double the median adjusted family income for the full ATP at the time of the most recent annual pr

274、ofile survey.The median adjusted family income for the panel is roughly$74,100.Using this median income,the middle-income range is about$49,400 to$148,200.Lower-income families have adjusted incomes less than$49,400 and upper-income families have adjusted 52 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org i

275、ncomes greater than$148,200(all figures expressed in 2023 dollars and scaled to a household size of three).If a panelist did not provide their income and/or their household size,they are assigned“no answer”in the income tier variable.Two examples of how a given areas cost-of-living adjustment was ca

276、lculated are as follows:the Pine Bluff metropolitan area in Arkansas is a relatively inexpensive area,with a price level that is 19.1%less than the national average.The San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metropolitan area in California is one of the most expensive areas,with a price level that is 17.9%h

277、igher than the national average.Income in the sample is adjusted to make up for this difference.As a result,a family with an income of$40,400 in the Pine Bluff area is as well off financially as a family of the same size with an income of$58,900 in San Francisco.Current Population Survey methodology

278、 Most of the analysis used is based on the Current Population Survey(CPS)monthly files.Administered jointly by the U.S.Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics,the CPS is a monthly survey of approximately 60,000 occupied households that typically interviews about 50,000 households.It is the

279、source of the nations official statistics on unemployment and is explicitly designed to survey the labor force.It is representative of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.The CPS microdata used in this report is the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series(IPUMS),provided by the University of

280、 Minnesota.The IPUMS assigns uniform codes,to the extent possible,to data collected in the CPS over the years.Read more information about IPUMS,including variable definition and sampling error.Employee tenure data is collected every two years as part of a supplement to the CPS.Earnings of full-time,

281、full-year workers are based on the CPS Annual Social and Economic Supplement(ASEC),collected every March.Following U.S.Census Bureau practice,earnings are adjusted for inflation using the Chained Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers(C-CPI-U).The Census Bureau generated entropy balance weight

282、s for the 2020 and 2021 ASEC to account for nonrandom nonresponse.Our analysis used these weights.The analyses of multiple job-holding,industrial change,professional certificates and the changing demography of the workforce are based on information collected in the basic monthly CPS files.53 PEW RES

283、EARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Survey of Income and Program Participation methodology The analysis of how workers are paid uses information collected in the Census Bureaus 2023 Survey of Income and Program Participation(SIPP).It is a nationally representative annual survey that focuses on the inco

284、me of U.S.households and their participation in government programs.It also asks respondents about their employment during the preceding calendar year,including earnings from commissions,tips and bonus pay.Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking methodology Finally,workers assessment of how

285、 much autonomy they have on their jobs is derived from the 2023 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking(SHED).The Federal Reserve has fielded the SHED annually in the fourth quarter of each year since 2013.It is perhaps best known for its assessment of adults overall financial well-being but includes batteries of questions on a number of other topics,including employment.The SHED sample is representative of the civilian,noninstitutionalized adult population.The 2023 SHED had 11,400 respondents.Pew Research Center 2024