Sky News reports that a Resolution Foundation analysis of the 2025 British Social Attitudes survey found UK job satisfaction at its lowest recorded level. Sky says 74% of people polled reported being satisfied in their work, down from 81% in 2015. That is the lowest figure recorded since 1989.
The Resolution Foundation analyzed the survey results, which Sky News reported on Nov. 3, 2026. The survey polled 4,656 people aged 16 and older across the UK between late August and early October 2025. Among working-age adults, the share who wanted full-time work fell from 57% in 2015 to 47% in 2025. Over the same period, the share employed full-time rose from 57% to 60%. Wanting a full-time job and holding one are different measures.
The decline in full-time work preference was driven by men, Sky reports. Among men, the share wanting full-time work fell from 77% to 62%; among women, it was 37% in 2015 and 38% in 2025. The drop was especially pronounced among men aged 30 to 49, from 86% to 67%.
Sky quoted Hannah Slaughter, a principal economist at the Resolution Foundation, saying that working fewer hours can sometimes be positive but can also reduce earnings and economic output. She cautioned against calling workers “work shy” without knowing more about what drives the change. A Resolution Foundation event page asks whether changing attitudes to work could help explain weak productivity growth. It poses that connection as a question, not a finding.
