Survey: We like our job security, but not our salaries

Feeling good about your level of job security but not your salary? If so, you are in the majority of U.S. workers, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. 

Amid low unemployment nationwide, 69% of workers said they have a great deal or a fair amount of job security, and relatively few said they plan on looking for another job in the coming months.

But only half of workers say they are extremely or very satisfied with their job overall. And only 30% report a high level of satisfaction with their pay — down from 34% last year. 

The top reason? Workers' wages haven't kept up with the rising cost of living, according to the survey.

The survey, conducted Oct. 7 to 13 among 5,273 employed adults, asked how workers see various aspects of their jobs, including how they assess the importance of certain skills and their opportunities for further training.

Seventy percent of workers said they have the education and training needed to get ahead in their jobs, while 30% said they need more. 

More than a third of respondents said they’re not too satisfied — or not at all satisfied — with their opportunities for growth. But most (63%) said they’re unlikely to look for a new job anytime soon.

Younger and lower-income workers are among the least satisfied with their jobs. Among workers ages 65 and older, two-thirds say they are highly satisfied with their job. Just 43% of workers ages 18 to 29 say the same. 

The majority of workers are now much more likely than in 2022 to say it would be difficult to get the kind of job they'd want if they were to look for a new one. Fifty-two percent of workers say this would be difficult, compared with 37% in 2022.