Which industry has the happiest workers?
On International Happiness Day, the World Happiness Report 2017 was released by the UN-based Sustainable Development Solutions Network and highlighted who the happiest countries in the world are. But the report also looks at many other factors beyond who is happiest based on geography. In a chapter on work around the world, the report analyzed the subjective wellbeing of workers across different industries.
For the “life evaluation” criteria, workers were asked the following question: “Please imagine a ladder, with steps numbered from 0 at the bottom to 10 at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time?”
Overall, blue-collar jobs that involved a higher degree of labour ranked lower compared to white-collar jobs traditionally found in office environments.
Here’s how 10 major industries ranked with overall worker life satisfaction, from least to most satisfied.
To read more on happiness and work, read the full chapter here.