Government and healthcare workers amongst the most concerned

With the cost of living constantly increasing and real UK wages falling at the fastest pace on record, making ends meet is a priority for many workers.

Research from Glassdoor reveals that 22% of UK workers are concerned about finding a job that supports the cost of living at the moment and that anxiety around this issue is on the increase.

An analysis of words used on Fishbowl by Glassdoor showed that mentions of “cost of living”,

“inflation”, “rent”, “petrol”, “accommodation”, and “bills” have increased by 67% year-on-year.

Over 700,000 Glassdoor reviews by UK-based employees were examined. The data revealed that negative mentions of “salary”, “pay”, and “compensation” increased by 16% since 2020.

The biggest increase in salary complaints was among government workers – up 26% from 2021. In the past, these workers were less inclined to discuss salary negatively. But, with public sector wage growth falling far behind the private sector, this is no longer the case, indicating a possible future exodus of government workers. Similarly, complaints about salary have also increased among healthcare workers.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, employees in the hospitality industry(restaurants, food service, travel, and accommodation) have seen unusually high pay growth, and salary complaints have dropped.

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.”