One in five employees hate their careers

One in five employees are reportedly unhappy with their careers, as new research reveals that 25% of staff think changing their jobs would actually improve their mental health.

A study carried out by energy comparison site, UK Power, questioned the nation to find out which areas of their life they are most unhappy with. The findings allege that men are more likely to be suffering form career woes than women, with general dissatisfaction of day-to-day roles being cited as the main reason for the upset.

“We were interested to see which parts of their life people would most like to switch, and were surprised to see so many wishing they could change careers,” added Nick Heath, head of insight at UK Power.

One in five employees said that it’s their level of seniority, rather than their actual career, which was making them unhappy. Moreover, 13% want to move roles because they dislike their boss.

Life outside of work was also affected by employee career angst, with single workers twice as likely than their coupled counterparts to be dissatisfied at work. Mental health is also an issue that’s at risk from unhappy careers, with 26% of those asked admitting that moving jobs would have a positive impact on their metal state.

The main reasons given for staying in a disliked role were:

• Lack of finances available to support a career change (39%)
• Feeling like there is no better alternative (31%)
• Being scared they will regret their decision (26%)
• Feeling like they are a failure (24%)
• Too invested in their current career (12%)