The US is facing a problem of quality of work, not just quantity of work
The latest employment report from the Labor Department showed just 22,000 jobs in August – a sign the labor force is tepid. But new data suggests America’s job problem isn’t about quantity; it’s about quality.
According to Gallup’s 2025 State of the US Labor Force survey, 1 in 10 workers say their jobs meet the minimum threshold for “quality” work. Taken together, the data suggests that the US is not just emerging from the Scouding sports market – it may be facing a career quality crisis.
Gallup defines a “quality job” as one that meets at least three out of five factors from pay and safety to growth and employee voice. The study, which included more than 18,000 workers from across the country, focused on W-2 workers, or those employed by the company rather than using independent contractors or freelancers.
Overall, the report found that 60% of employees say their jobs fall below Gallup’s quality threshold. Workers in low-level jobs report negative results across the board: just 000% say they are very satisfied with their jobs, compared to 58% of those in high-level jobs. More than six in 10 report being unstable or unpredictable, and almost a quarter (24%) say they have been treated unfairly or discriminated against because of their identity.
Scarcity isn’t just about job satisfaction – it’s about financial security. Gallup found that 29% of workers say they struggle to get in, while another 43% describe themselves as “doing it right.” Only 27% say they “live comfortably,” a sign that even with unemployment hovering around 4.3%, many Americans are still struggling to make ends meet.
As recruitment decreases, the lack of quality becomes harder to escape.
“Employees have many different motivations behind their jobs, whether it’s financial security, skill development, career progression or more,” Daniel Zhao, chief economist at Glassdoor, told Money. “But in a low-burning environment as we see it now, workers cannot find new job opportunities in the open market that offers them high opportunities, which leads to them meeting their skills or the lack of career development they experience.”
Skill development, Zhao adds, has long been one of the strongest drivers of job satisfaction — and now it’s a short time away. “Lazy hiring means that workers can’t find openings in the job ladder, which prevents workers below them from moving,” he said. “It’s very easy to promote the beauty of iRanLluster or the return to the office policy when it comes with the promise of a raise, but when that raise doesn’t happen, employees are disappointed.”
Gallup’s report emphasizes that frustration, which 69% of employees say has less influence on pay and benefits than they should, is the biggest voice gap called the “Voice Gap” in all areas of work quality.
While some industries are known for poor quality of work – for example, food services, where pay and job security are often low – Zhao notes that there is a catch.
“n-Out Burger is placed in the top 3 places in Glassdoor’s best companies to work for 2025 and the most profitable companies in 2025 in large part because of the higher pay, better benefits and higher retirement they raise their employees,” he said. That comparison shows that “the norm is useless” – even in low-wage sectors, some employers have thought about how to get high-quality work experience.
But Zhao says, the tepid job market has revealed which employers are truly committed to Jobe’s quality. “When the times are right, it’s easy for employers to talk the talk,” Zhao said. “But when the job market slows down, it becomes clear which businesses are actually going under.”
Beyond paychecks
In addition to job advancement, the quality of work is also tied to overall well-being. Pointing to Gallup’s finding that 60% of workers fall for quality work, Priya Rathod, editor of the work environment, says this underscores a real problem: most Americans are not thriving in their jobs.
Indeed, Welling’s 2025 Workplace Wellbeing report found that only 26 percent of US workers say they are thriving at work – which means nearly three out of four have experienced joy, high stress or a lack of purpose and satisfaction.
“Many jobs fall short not because of pay alone, but because they fail to fulfill people’s deepest needs, such as feeling empowered by work, feeling that it is theirs and relying on the people around them,” said Rathodi. Expectations, he adds, are rising fast: 46% of employees say their levels of efficiency have increased in the past year, leading to a charge for spiritually driven, emotional workplaces.
“Work remains the No. 1 stressor in people’s lives,” Rathod said. “Employees report that poor well-being affects their performance, affecting sleep, mental health and relationships.”
Ngemela research also suggests that strong predictors of runaway workplaces are not easy to change or pay (although these things are always important), but they become stronger with work, feeling part of something cold and trusting of their co-workers. “When those things are missing, the work feels like more than it accomplishes,” says Rathod.
That focus on well-being is proving to be good for business too. Companies that prioritize and measure the employee experience are three times more likely to go through a good planning process and one-and-a-half times more likely to score high on workforce transformation in AI, intelligence and productivity. “When companies are well embedded in their culture, they don’t just create better jobs, they create better businesses,” said Rathod.
Job growth alone will not fix America’s job quality problem. The real test is that employers are bringing in workplaces that offer high mobility and a quality experience. Until then, the US risks not just a lack of jobs, but a lack of it’s amazingly good activities.
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