Survey to measure the happiness of workers

Up to 1.5 million public sector workers may be on strike today, but it is a story about florists, beauticians and hairdressers being the most happiest workers in the UK that took my eye.

A quick summary of the annual survey by City and Guilds also suggests:

- lawyers, civil servants and pharmacists are the least cheerful

- skilled workers are more content with their work-life balance than white collar professionals

- florists, beauticians and hairdressers all identify meeting new people and feeling appreciated as key to enjoying their working day

- sitting behind a desk is not all bad, as both vocational workers and professional workers say they are happier in their jobs than they were a year ago

Whilst the survey is a consistent way of measuring certain work-related variables it doesn't really go into much depth. What I would add to analysis is that there is plenty of research to suggest professional occupations have been degraded and de-skilled over the past 20 years, i.e. a general loss of autonomy. On the other hand, people in vocations have clearly benefitted from being in greater demand as many young people increasingly avoid what are perceived to be unrewarding and low status work.

For more details see Florists find happiness blooming (BBC News: UK).