Americans' job satisfaction up in last decade: Gallup

Employed Americans' satisfaction with several aspects of their current jobs has largely improved in the last decade, Gallup found in a poll released Friday.

For the most part, Americans' satisfaction with various aspects of their jobs is higher today than it was in 2005. But despite these improvements, no more than one in three workers are completely satisfied with their salaries, stress levels, chances for promotion and retirement plans, according to Gallup.

The percentages of American workers completely satisfied with their health benefits and vacation time have increased the most since 2005, each rising at least 10 percentage points, said the poll.

As has been the case since Gallup began polling on aspects of Americans' jobs in 1993, employed Americans are most likely to say they are "completely satisfied" with their relations with their coworkers, 72 percent in 2015 -- and the physical safety conditions of their workplace, 70 percent.

Employed Americans have typically been least likely to say they are completely satisfied with the amount of money they earn, 33 percent -- and the amount of stress they have at work, 28 percent, Gallup found.

Smaller majorities of employed adults report being completely satisfied with the flexibility of their hours, 58 percent; the amount of vacation time they receive, 57 percent; their job security, 57 percent; their boss or immediate supervisor, 54 percent; and the amount of work that is required of them, 53 percent, Gallup found.

Despite large improvements over the past 10 years in how they view many aspects of their jobs, less than half of employed Americans say they are "completely satisfied" with the recognition they receive at work for their accomplishments and the health insurance benefits their employer offers. Even fewer are "completely satisfied" with the retirement plan offered, 35 percent -- and their chances for a promotion, 35 percent.

Still, 57 percent of Americans are completely satisfied with their job security, near the high of 58 percent, recorded in 2014, Gallup said.

Satisfaction with job security had suffered amid the global economic crisis, falling in 2009 to 50 percent, and didn't recover in the years that immediately followed. By 2014, as Americans' perceptions of job creation at their companies improved, so too did their satisfaction with the security of their own jobs, Gallup found. Endit