‘Dissatisfaction drain’ as job satisfaction falls to record low and workers become less willing to go the extra mile, new British Social Attitudes research shows

• People’s job satisfaction has dropped to the lowest ever level recorded by the British Social Attitudes survey.  
• The proportion willing to work harder than required to help their employer succeed has fallen to its lowest ever level over the past decade.  
• Fewer people, and particularly men, say they would ideally work full-time.  
• People are worried that technology will take over people’s jobs, but are far less concerned that their own job is at risk.

British workers are less satisfied with their jobs and less willing to go above and beyond for their employers than they were a decade ago, according to new analysis by the Resolution Foundation of data from the latest British Social Attitudes survey (BSA).  

The new analysis explores how attitudes towards work have changed over the past decade and what they might mean for some of the UK's long-standing labour market challenges, including weak productivity growth, low levels of job and business mobility and high economic inactivity among some groups, most notably younger people.  

Although there have only been small changes in workers’ belief in the intrinsic value of work in general, many feel less positive about the particular jobs they do. 

The analysis finds that:  

• Job satisfaction fell from 81% to 74%, the lowest figure recorded in any wave of the British Social Attitudes survey.  
• The proportion of workers willing to work harder than required to help their employer succeed fell from 69% in 2015 to 55% in 2025.  
• The proportion saying they have an interesting job fell from 74% to 63%.  
• The proportion reporting opportunities for advancement fell from 35% to 26%. 

At the same time, many feel their job does not provide the pay and flexibility they have increasingly come to value.

• The proportion saying a high income is important when choosing a job rose from 67% to 78%.  But only 23% feel their job does provide a high income.
• The proportion for whom it is important to be able to decide their own working hours increased from 46% to 61%, a reflection perhaps of the experience of the pandemic.  But just 31% say they can do that in their job.

Most people still want to work. Only 4% of working-age adults say they would ideally prefer not to work at all. Meanwhile, despite the widespread concern about the level of economic inactivity among young people, only 2% of those aged under 30 who are not full-time students do not want to work.

However, there has been a sharp decline – from 57% in 2015 to 47% in 2025 – in the proportion of working age adults who wish to work full time. The decline is entirely accounted for by men, among whom the figure fell from 77% to 62%, whereas the proportion of women wanting full-time work is, at 38%, little changed.  Yet the proportion who actually work full time is up by three points over the past decade.

Although fewer people are moving jobs nowadays, the proportion who say they are likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months, at 34%, has changed little since 2015.

The report also finds widespread concern about the impact of digital technology, including AI, will have on jobs. But while 60% of working-age adults are worried that digital technologies will take over many jobs currently done by humans, only 22% of workers are concerned that their own job is at risk. 

Hannah Slaughter, Principal Economist at the Resolution Foundation, said:  

"Britain's labour market has changed significantly over the past decade, and so too have people's expectations of work. Our analysis suggests that workers increasingly want jobs that provide flexibility, independence and financial security. But many feel those expectations are not being met."

"The result is rising frustration among workers, who report lower job satisfaction, declining willingness to go above and beyond, and a reduced appetite for full-time work. This ‘dissatisfaction drain’ is self-evidently bad for workers, but it also doesn’t bode well for productivity and labour supply, both of which are vital for lifting living standards in the years ahead." 

Sir John Curtice, co-editor of the British Social Attitudes report, said:

‘This invaluable analysis suggests that, for the most part, the current difficulties in Britain’s labour market cannot simply be accounted for workers’ attitudes. Young people have not become more ‘work-shy’, nor have workers in general become more reluctant to change jobs. But if workers are to be fully engaged in their work, it has seemingly become more important for employers to provide jobs that are both financially rewarding and have flexible work hours.’