Six in 10 U.S. workers say their jobs fall short of the standards for a “quality” position—one that offers basics such as fair pay, a steady schedule, and career growth—according to new research from advocacy group Jobs for the Future.
While government labor statistics track how many Americans are employed and how much they earn, the official data falls short of painting a complete picture of the state of the job market, researchers behind Jobs for the Future’s new report, *The American Job Quality Study*, said.
### What Defines a Quality Job?
A quality job is defined by five key indicators, the researchers explained:
1. **Financial well-being:** Fair pay and stable employment.
2. **Workplace culture and safety:** Freedom from discrimination or harassment.
3. **Growth and development opportunities:** The ability to build skills and advance one’s career.
4. **Agency and voice:** The ability to influence decisions that impact one’s job.
5. **Work structure and schedule:** A stable, predictable schedule and a manageable workload.
By these measures, only 40% of the more than 18,000 workers surveyed said they are employed in quality jobs, while the remaining 60% reported that their employment falls short of these standards.
For example, 62% of employees said they have unpredictable work schedules, and about one-third said they are struggling financially.
### Understanding the Gap in Job Quality
“We recognize 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 in terms of letting us understand what’s going on under the hood of the economy and across the workforce, which is the engine of economic prosperity in the U.S.,” said Molly Blankenship, director at Jobs for the Future.
The group surveyed workers across industries and types of positions in partnership with Gallup, the Families & Workers Fund, and the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
“We suspected when we started this work that the majority of Americans were not in jobs that were helping them,” Blankenship added. “This data confirms what we suspected, which is that the majority of American workers are not in quality jobs.”
### Dimensions of a Quality Job
Pay is among the most important features of a job because fair wages, stable employment, and benefits help improve employees’ financial well-being, the study notes. However, only 27% of those surveyed said they are financially comfortable, while nearly 3 in 10 described themselves as “just getting by” or “finding it difficult to get by.”
But a job’s pay alone does not indicate its overall quality. Workers also want to feel safe and respected. The study emphasized that providing a harassment-free workplace is not just for workers’ benefit: research from consulting firm McKinsey & Company shows that psychological safety and equitable treatment can improve productivity and business performance.
Opportunities for growth and development are another pillar of a quality job. Yet, one in four employees say they have no opportunities for promotion or advancement at work.
Having agency and input into working conditions also plays a role in job satisfaction. However, employees report significant gaps in influence over key job attributes:
– 70% of workers said they should have more say over their compensation and benefits.
– 55% said their employers have too much control over how firms use new technology, such as AI.
“There is tremendous concern over technology, how it’s being adopted, and how it will impact people’s jobs in the future,” said Susan Houseman, a senior economist at the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, who worked on the report. “The research indicates that they lack input on these issues.”
The final determinant of job quality is the degree of autonomy a position offers. This can shape an employee’s daily routine and overall work-life balance. Over six in 10 employees said they lack control over their schedules, and more than half reported often or sometimes working more than scheduled.
### Who Works in Quality Jobs?
The survey revealed disparities across demographics and industries:
– **Gender:** Men are more likely than women to hold high-quality jobs.
– **Age:** The youngest employees (ages 18 to 24) are the least likely to have quality jobs.
– **Race and Ethnicity:** Asian and White employees are more likely than Black, multiracial, Hispanic, or Middle Eastern/North African workers to hold quality jobs.
– **Industry:** More workers in professional services, financial activities, and wholesale trade report holding quality jobs, whereas fewer workers in leisure and hospitality, retail, and warehousing do.
– **Education:** Employees with a bachelor’s degree are more likely to hold quality jobs than those with less education.
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This study sheds critical light on the complexities of the modern job market, highlighting the need for better measures and improvements to ensure more American workers have access to quality employment.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-workers-lack-quality-jobs-study/
