Published: January 11, 2010 12:45 pm      

Do we live to work or work to live?

The Conference Board, a national business research group, weighed in this week with a report that job satisfaction among American workers has reached another record-low level.

The survey found that most workers, 55 percent, were unhappy with their jobs; only 45 percent were satisfied. The discontent might be explained by recession-related uncertainty — Mass layoffs, cutbacks, furloughs and rising health insurance premiums have a way of eroding the comfort level of even the most dedicated - except that the happiness quotient has been falling steadily in the 22 years the survey has been conducted.

In 1987, the first year of the survey, 61 percent of workers said they were happy in their jobs, 16 points better than in the current survey.

Another finding — Only 51 percent find their jobs interesting. In 1987, nearly 70 percent did.

Those most unhappy with their jobs were the youngest, with 64 percent of workers younger than 25 reporting dissatisfaction, a reflection perhaps of the paucity of entry-level jobs with real opportunities for those seeking to get a foot on the ladder.

America is a land known for its love of work. How else can you explain the fury in which the continent was transformed from explorers and agrarian nationhood to rapid industrialization and modern economic powerhouse?

Our nation was defined and developed in work and the spirit of constant progress.

“What's really disturbing about growing job dissatisfaction is the way it can play into the competitive nature of the U.S. work force down the road and on the growth of the U.S. economy — all in a negative way,” Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board's Consumer Research Center, told the Associated Press.

But maybe there is a silver lining in this: The satisfaction numbers could suggest a gradual (and generational) shift in attitudes toward work. Ideally people seek work that engages them

In a nation with so many opportunities for education and advancement, the survey results should not be taken lightly. Maybe the key to making this next decade memorable for the right reasons is finding a renewed passion in our work, and taking risks to do what we love.



Armand Nardi is the publisher of the Gainesville Daily Register. He can be contacted at: anardi@ntin.net