A recent survey finds that job satisfaction depends, at least in part, on the work you do. It also depends on where in the country you live and work.
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The survey, conducted by career discovery platform Sokanu, includes input from 150,000 U.S. workers across 599 career paths.
Whistle While You Work
Creativity is a big factor when it comes to the happiest jobs. The top four jobs all involve a great deal of creativity.
The jobs with the greatest job satisfaction are:
- Video game producer
- Film director
- Music producer
- Comedian
- Neurosurgeon
Take This Job and …
Service-based location-dependent jobs, on the other hand, offer less job satisfaction.
The jobs with the lowest job satisfaction are:
- Stock clerk
- Cashier
- Janitor
- Machine feeder
- Telemarketer
“The results from this year’s survey [2017] show a dramatic shift to passion-based careers where one has control over their work and a license to use their creativity in a way that allows them to make a living from their interests. The unhappiest jobs are those in the service industry where there is a lack of autonomy or variety in the work,” said Spencer Thompson, CEO of Sokanu.
Happy to Work Here
The states with the highest levels of job satisfaction are:
- Hawaii
- Alaska
- Wyoming
- New Mexico
- West Virginia
- Maine
- Nevada
- South Dakota
- Louisiana
- Montana
Not So Happy Here
Four states and the District of Columbia are at the bottom of the list:
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- Pennsylvania
- Massachusetts
- District of Columbia
Happy or Not
For recruiters and hiring managers, as well as HR professionals, survey findings should prove interesting—and may prove helpful.