Job satisfaction hits record low with drop in people wanting full-time work 'entirely driven by men'

Men are driving a fall in appetite for full-time work, while job satisfaction has dropped to an all-time low, new research shows. 

The percentage of working-age adults who want to work full-time dropped from 57% in 2015 to 47% in 2025, despite the proportion of people employed in such roles rising from 57% to 60% across the decade, an analysis of the British Social Attitudes (BSA) 2025 survey revealed.

Meanwhile, job satisfaction was found to be at a record low, with fewer than three quarters (74%) of people polled reporting being satisfied in their work, down from 81% in 2015.

It is the lowest figure recorded since 1989.

The 2025 survey polled 4,656 people aged 16 and older across the UK between the end of August and early October, with the results analysed by the Resolution Foundation think tank.

According to the research, published on Tuesday by the National Centre for Social Research, the drop in people wanting to work full-time "has been entirely driven by men".

Fewer than two thirds (62%) of this group said they wanted to work full-time, down from 77% in 2015, while for women it was broadly unchanged across the decade at 38% most recently compared with 37% previously.

The report found the drop was "especially marked among men aged 30 to 49", falling from 86% to 67%.

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Hannah Slaughter, principal economist at the Resolution Foundation, said that while working fewer hours "can be a positive thing in some cases, depending on why that's happening", it can also "push down on both the earnings of those people directly, but also the size of the economy and living standards overall".

Ms Slaughter added: "I think there's probably a lot going on.

"I would certainly want to know more about what exactly was driving it before jumping to 'work shy', given there's lots of other things going on."

(c) Sky News 2026: Job satisfaction hits record low with drop in people wanting full-time work 'entirely drive