A poll by
Gallop brings discusses improvement in worker perception of employment. 58% of
full and part-time workers say they are completely satisfied with their jobs as
compared to 50% in 2009-2013. The growth in the economy, lower unemployment
rates, and improving employment opportunities are having an impact on worker
perception.
The numbers
also spotlight a few areas of concern. The amount of work, physical conditions,
relationship with bosses, job security, recognition and workload are above 50%.
Areas below 50% are opportunities for promotion, retirement, health insurance,
earning power, and job stress.
Benefits
such as health insurance and retirement have taken a significant hit in the
current market. Employers often cut back on these expensive benefits due to the
inherent increasing costs with little direct return to the employer. Employees
will be asked to pick up a higher percentage of these costs.
A problem
results when earning power is not sufficiently rising, making increased
contributions to such programs difficult. As the cost of medical care shifts to
employees with lower incomes new ways of doing things become necessary. The
health care system itself is expensive beyond the cost of insurance.
Another
important issue to workers is retirement. The traditional pension is nearly
gone and the 401K is the standard approach. In today’s transient world the 401K
offers more portability but also requires higher employee contributions. This
can be difficult for people at lower income brackets.
As a country
we still have some work to do and the positive employment perceptions follow
suit with the improving economy. New ideas on how to manage retirement, higher
savings rates, a more efficient medical care system, and a focus on improving
income opportunities for all Americans is necessary. The numbers can slide as
quickly as they rose.
