UK Working Life Consumer Report 2024
If inflation remains low and workers continue to experience real pay growth they will, finally, start to feel better off.
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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for working lifestyles
- Employee health benefits need a revamp
- Match workers shifting perception of success
- Hybrid working remains in high-demand
- Market dynamics
- Workers have been experiencing real wage increases since Summer 2023
- Graph 1: CPI and average annual wage growth, 2021-24
- Financial wellbeing continues on its recovery from the cost of living crisis
- Graph 2: consumer financial wellbeing, by working location (NET), 2024
- What consumers want and why
- Workers are generally satisfied with their job
- Graph 3: elements of job satisfaction, 2024
- The perception of success at work is shifting
- Stress is a common experience for workers
- Graph 4: experience of health issues during or as a result of work in the last year, 2024
- Workers address health issues through a range of behaviours
- Graph 5: behaviours adopted to manage work-related health issues in the last 12 months, 2024
- There are opportunities to enhance the remote working experience
- Graph 6: attitudes towards remote working, 2024
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Market Dynamics
- Macro-economic factors
- The UK economy was very briefly in recession
- Graph 7: quarter-on-quarter change in GDP, 2018-24
- Inflation continues to fall
- Graph 8: monthly CPI, 2018-24
- Real wage rises have benefitted household finances since Summer 2023…
- Graph 9: CPI and average annual wage growth, 2021-24
- …but many still feel worse off
- From crisis to recovery
- Graph 10: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-24
- Full-time home workers report the strongest finances
- Graph 11: consumer financial wellbeing (NET), by working location (NET), 2024
- Unemployment rises slightly since the beginning of 2023
- Graph 12: UK unemplyoment rate (all aged 16+, seasonally adjusted), 2014-24
- Economic inactive population remains higher than pre-pandemic…
- …spotlighting the poor health of the nation
- Social, environmental and legal factors
- The four-day work week conversation continues
- An increasing pressure to return to office
- Working situation
- Working locations are varied
- Graph 13: current working situation, % of respondents, 2024
- Equal proportion of hybrid and out of home workers
- Graph 14: current working situation (NET), 2024
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What Consumers Want and Why
- Job satisfaction
- Three in four Brits are satisfied with their jobs
- The majority of workers are satisfied with their job overall…
- … and with individual elements of their job
- Graph 15: elements of job satisfaction, 2024
- Home workers are the most satisfied with their working location
- Sustain the positivity of younger workforce
- Graph 16: workers that are very satisfied with selected aspects of their job, by age, 2024
- Employee benefits need to cater to varying preferences
- Graph 17: satisfaction with employee benefits (NET), by age, 2024
- Dissatisfaction is highest about pay, progression and benefits
- Key driver analysis of job satisfaction
- Providing progression and manageable workloads should be prioritised
- The importance of an empowering work environment
- Definition of success at work
- The perception of success at work is varied
- Graph 18: definition of success at work, 2024
- Foster a positive work environment that recognises staff
- Graph 19: “To me, success at work is enjoying my job”, by age, 2024
- Health benefits are not meeting employee needs
- Support holistic health to increase engagement with employee benefits
- Higher earners are more likely to link salary to success
- Graph 20: “To me, success at work is earning a good salary”, by annual household income, 2024
- Providing learning and growth opportunities is important
- Health issues at work
- Addressing the health of employed and unemployed adults is critical
- Graph 21: experience of health issues during or as a result of work in the last year, 2024
- Address the varied sources of stress in work lives
- Workers in precarious financial positions experience more work-related stress
- Brands can help solve some of workers’ sleep problems
- Combat the common experience of headaches with ergonomic solutions and healthy workplaces
- Young adults report the poorest health as a result of work
- Mental health crisis getting in the way of work
- Managing health at work
- Workers tackle health issues with a variety of behaviours
- Graph 22: behaviours adopted to manage work-related health issues in the last 12 months, 2024
- Some groups are at risk of worsening work-related health issues
- Graph 23: working adults that have experienced a work-related health issue in the last year that have not done anything to manage their health issue, by current working location, 2024
- Graph 24: working adults that have experienced a work-related health issue in the last year that have not done anything to manage their health issue, by age, 2024
- Employers need to be proactive in supporting the health of employees
- Work from home is seen as a replacement for sick days
- Build a culture that supports employee wellbeing
- Younger workers are comfortable setting boundaries at work
- Graph 25: working adults that have reduced their working hours to manage their work-related health issue in the last 12 months, by age, 2024
- Working life behaviours
- Workers seek out jobs that reflect their values
- A strong organisational culture will resonate with employees
- Graph 26: “My job is an important part of my identity”, by age, 2024
- Prioritising wellbeing over working hard is the norm
- The influence of #worktok on Gen Z
- Remote working can hinder and help
- Graph 27: attitudes towards remote working, 2024
- Boost remote career progression strategies
- The preference for the future of work remains divided
- Graph 28: attitudes towards working location, 2024
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Appendix
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Methodology
- Consumer research methodology
- Key driver analysis
- Key driver analysis – data
Stay ahead of the curve and future-proof your business with Mintel’s UK The Working Life Market Report 2024. This report examines the attitudes and behaviours of working adults in the UK, including job satisfaction, definition of success at work and experience with work-related health issues.
Below, we’ve handpicked the key insights analysed in the full report and summarised the core topics
Key Topics Discussed in Full Report
- Market factors impacting working lifestyles, such as employment rate, economic inactivity and financial wellbeing.
- Satisfaction across different elements of a job, and the key drivers of overall job satisfaction.
- How working adults define success at work.
- Experience of health issues as a result of or during work, and how these health issues have been managed in the last 12 months.
- Attitudes towards work, such as the impact of remote working on relationships at work and progression opportunities.
Future of Work Outlook
If inflation remains low and workers continue to experience real pay growth they will, finally, start to feel better off. This will likely improve the experience of work too as workers in the weakest financial situations are more dissatisfied across a number of metrics and are more likely to experience a number of work-related health issues.
Many workers are not effectively managing their health. In the past year, over half of workers have experienced a work-related health issue but one-fifth of them have not done anything to manage it. Many hybrid workers are opting to work from home instead of taking a sick day, risking prolonged illnesses and contributing to a cycle of burnout.
- UK workplace trends: 59% of workers have experienced a work-related health issue.
Workers are, generally, satisfied with their jobs, and looking forwards, they show a preference for the continuation of hybrid working. With this, there is significant opportunity for employers to enhance the hybrid and remote work experience, for example supporting relationships between workers, building a strong organisational culture and developing clear remote career pathways.
- UK workplace trends: 47% of workers say they would only apply to a hybrid role in the future.
Readers of this report may also be interested in our UK Business Traveller Market Report, or our range of Work and Employment Market Research.
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Meet the Expert
Francesca joined Mintel in September 2021 as a Market Research Analyst in the Consumer Lifestyles Research team with previous experience in market analysis, market research and knowledge of consumer trends. Francesca holds a First Class BSc (Hons) degree in Psychology.
Workers are mostly satisfied with their jobs, but addressing stress levels and promoting health management will help build a more productive workforce.
Francesca Smith
Senior Research Analyst – Consumer Lifestyles
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