Construction workers lead the way in job satisfaction: study

​​​​​​​An estimated 6 million UK workers report dissatisfaction with their current job, nearly a quarter of those working in Engineering & Manufacturing earn over £55,000

A new job satisfaction index from custom workwear specialists, Essential Workwear, reveals that the construction industry ranks highest for job satisfaction among UK trades, despite comparatively lower salaries in some roles. 

 Although the nationwide study, which collected responses from over 2,000 UK respondents, estimated that around six million Brits are unhappy in their current positions, with 30% feeling they are paid unfairly, it looked at all industry sectors.

Among trade industries, the lowest paid seem to be property and construction, with 16% of respondents revealing they are paid less than £23K a year.

Although this was one of the lowest-paid trade industries in the study overall, it actually had the highest job satisfaction rating, with 36% of workers agreeing that they are delighted with their jobs. 

On the other hand, the study found that engineering and manufacturing were the highest-paid trade industries, with nearly a quarter of those working in the trade taking home over £55K a year!

Job satisfaction was extremely high for this trade too, with 1 in 3 workers in the industry agreeing that they are satisfied with their job. Job satisfaction and a generous salary go hand in hand, with 63% of those surveyed agreeing that they are paid fairly.

However, those earning over £40K a year told a different story. Energy and Utility jobs, such as electricians, project managers, and plumbers, topped the list, with over half (51%) of those in the industry revealing their salary.

This was followed by engineering and manufacturing (48%), then environment and agriculture (47%). 

Being paid fairly and job satisfaction seem connected throughout the study, with those working in transport and logistics reporting the lowest levels of job satisfaction and agreeing that they feel unfairly paid. 

The top two industries where workers felt they were the most fairly paid were energy and utilities, with nearly three-quarters (69%) of energy and utilities workers and two-thirds of property and construction workers (67%).

When looking at all industries, the survey found that nearly three-quarters (72%) of respondents say they were happy in their roles, but over 30% believe they are paid unfairly. Around 17% earn less than £23K annually, below the national living wage for a 39-hour week. While 21% earn more than £55K annually, the survey shows a striking divide between low—and highly paid workers.

The study found that IT was the highest-paid industry, with over half (53%) of workers revealing a hefty salary of over £55K.