Fifth of workers need a job that supports rising cost of living
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New Glassdoor research shows that 1 in 5 UK workers are worried about finding a job that supports the cost of living (22 per cent), and they are only getting more anxious. With the cost of living rising and real UK wages falling at the fastest pace on record, making ends meet is top of mind for many workers.
Text analysis of words on Fishbowl by Glassdoor show that mentions of “cost of living”, “inflation” and worries about “rent”, “petrol”, “accomodation” and “bills” have increased by 67 per cent since last summer. (July 2021-July 2022)
Additionally, negative mentions of “salary”, “pay” and “compensation” in Glassdoor reviews have increased by 16 per cent since 2020. More than 700,000 reviews by UK-based employees were examined.
The largest increase in salary complaints is among government workers - up 26 per cent from 2021. In previous years, government workers were less likely to discuss salary negatively but this has now shot to the top as public sector wage growth falls far behind the private sector, suggesting a potential future exodus of government workers. Healthcare workers have also begun to complain about pay a lot more.
Hospitality (restaurants, food service, travel and accommodation) employees, who have seen unusually high pay growth, show the opposite pattern, with salary complaints dropping.
Lauren Thomas, Glassdoor’s EMEA Economist said:
"The only constant in 2022 is change -and skyrocketing prices. Even with high wage growth and a tight labour market, workers are feeling the pinch as inflation emerges as the biggest winner. With real wages falling a record 3.0 percent thanks to inflation, the cost of living is a priority for many job seekers.
“Job vacancies, which have hit record highs month after month, have started to fall but even now employers can’t rest easy. Hiring will remain difficult, particularly in industries like hospitality and healthcare where employees’ Glassdoor reviews show they feel overworked and underpaid.”
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