Ying Zhou, Findings from the Skills and Employment Survey 2024, Cardiff: Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research and Data, Cardiff University.
Mae'r cynnwys hwn ar gael yn Saesneg yn unig.
The pursuit of meaningful work has deep historical roots, spurred by both individuals’ intrinsic needs for psychological fulfilment and organisations’ drive to enhance work motivation, performance, and competitive advantage. Over the past decade, the alleged growth of roles which are useless – so-called ‘bullshit jobs’ – has prompted public discussion of the meaning of work. Using new questions asked in 2024, this report examines the prevalence, distribution, and antecedents of meaningful work in the UK. The findings show:
- Most employees consider their work as meaningful: nearly 70% reported their jobs gave them the feeling of a job well done either always or most of the time, and three-quarters consistently had the feeling of doing useful work. By contrast, only around 5% doubted the value of their work. This suggests that ‘bullshit jobs’ are relatively rare.
- There are notable differences in perceptions of meaningful work by gender and age. Women reported higher levels of meaningfulness than men, whereas young workers were less likely than older workers to find their work meaningful, reporting lower levels of achievement, usefulness, and sense of belonging.
- Work tends to instil a deeper sense of meaning when it involves directly enhancing the health and well-being of others. The highest levels of meaningful work are found in health, education, and construction, while the lowest are seen in accommodation, transportation, sales, and financial services.
- The factors that foster a sense of meaningfulness largely reflect intrinsic aspects of job quality such as managerial support, skill utilisation, and participation. In contrast, perceptions of meaningful work are only weakly associated with pay.