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Most of us know why we don’t like a job.

But how would you define a quality job? The size of the paycheck is no doubt a big part of it, but how else do you measure how good it is?

It’s a worthwhile question. If pay is only one piece, how much weight should you give things like career mobility, workplace culture, or workload?

A new Gallup study found that only 40% of Americans have what it defines as “quality” jobs. The study surveyed over 18,000 U.S. workers, scoring their jobs based on established minimum thresholds for not just fair pay and benefits, but also opportunities for advancement, sustainable schedules, and a voice in decisions.

“Quality jobs are still the exception in the U.S. workforce,” the researchers wrote when they released the findings last month. “Our experiences on the job shape the decisions we make, the companies we trust and how we show up each day — at work and at home. And yet, too often, conversations about the economy focus on job quantity, not quality.”

Roughly half of workers in professional services, finance, and wholesale met Gallup’s quality standard compared with less than 30% in leisure and hospitality, retail, and warehousing.

So what?

At the end of the day, you want a job that helps you thrive. But many employers still fall short in providing livable wages, opportunities for advancement, and a healthy work-life balance.

When the economy is unpredictable, many people understandably hold on to unsatisfying jobs. But that shouldn’t stop you from identifying what you want from your job — and strategizing how to make it happen, whether it’s now or in the future.

Here are some highlights from the study to help you assess:

Gallup, in partnership with the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research and other researchers, defines a quality job first and foremost by fair pay. For full-timers, that means earnings of at least three times the federal poverty level for a two-person family, currently $5,287 per month. (Though the researchers acknowledged that this isn’t always enough, depending on someone’s location or other circumstances.) Yet half of respondents fell short.

To qualify, a job also had to score well in at least two of four quality-of-life areas: a healthy working environment, providing opportunities for advancement, getting a say in workplace decisions, and having a sustainable schedule. Gallup found that:

•  62% lacked a predictable schedule they could control.

•  54% worked extra or unplanned hours sometimes or often.

•  25% reported no opportunities for promotion or advancement.

•  24% experienced discrimination or unfair treatment at work.

•  69% said they/their co-workers didn’t have enough influence over pay and benefits.

•  55% said they/their co-workers didn’t have enough say over the use of new technology like AI.

Taken together, the findings show that job satisfaction involves more than just a paycheck — and that, for most Americans, stability and autonomy at work remain out of reach.

Related Readings

5 Things to Do To Feel Less Stuck at Your Job (SoFi)

Nearly Half of Workers Are “Job Hugging” as Comfort and Security Take Priority (Monster)

Job Seekers Stare Down a Gloomy Holiday Hiring Season (The Wall Street Journal)

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