Many of us talk about there being a mid-career crisis that affects all workers. According to researchers from the University of Surrey, the University of Reading, and Queen Mary University of London, job satisfaction tends to follow a U-shaped trajectory only for professional and managerial workers.
In other words, while job satisfaction tends to dip to its lowest point during middle age and later rebounds for those in professional and managerial roles, this pattern is not observed among workers in intermediate or lower occupational classes. For the latter group, job satisfaction appears to remain relatively stable without the pronounced midlife dip.
Mid-career crisis affects some of us
Ying Zhou, Min Zou, and Mark Williams wrote about their study and findings in the peer-reviewed, academic journal Socio-Economic Review (citation below). They explained that their findings challenge the notion that a mid-career crisis is a universal experience.
The authors call for a reevaluation of workplace support for middle-aged workers, that is, those who are in their 40s and 50s.
They explored how job satisfaction changes with age by analyzing data from four large national surveys in the UK. These surveys—the UK Skills and Employment Survey, the Workplace Employee Relations Survey, the British Household Panel Survey, and the UK Household Longitudinal Study—encompassed over 100,000 workers from diverse industries, job roles, and regions.
By examining both snapshots of data at specific times and patterns over time, they wanted to find out how job satisfaction shifts throughout a person’s career.
Lead author, Professor Ying Zhou, Director of the Future of Work Research Centre at the University of Surrey, said:
“While dissatisfaction is common among many middle-aged workers, it is crucial to acknowledge that this is not a universal experience. Our findings indicate that for managers and professionals, job satisfaction typically hits its lowest point during their 40s but often rebounds later in life.”
“In contrast, workers in intermediate and lower occupational classes do not display the same U-shaped trajectory. This challenges the widespread belief that a mid-career crisis is a universal phenomenon.”
Job satisfaction: a U-shaped pattern for some
This latest study provides important insights into how workplace dynamics affect employees’ happiness. For workers in their 40s, it is reassuring to know that feeling dissatisfied and frustrated with their jobs during this time is a common experience.
Rather than seeing midlife as a calm phase between the struggles of early adulthood and old age, it can be understood as a challenging period of change often accompanied by frustration and low mood.
The good news, however, is that this is only a phase—it is temporary, and things tend to improve with time. Better days are ahead.
How employers can support middle-aged workers
It is necessary for employers to adapt their support systems for workers entering middle age, the authors added.
The potential for dissatisfaction and frustration can be mitigated if employers foster an environment that encourages personal fulfilment and career development.
For the United Kingdom and other advanced economies facing growing challenges with an ageing workforce, understanding these dynamics is increasingly important.
The researchers found that retention rates improve and the workforce is more engaged when employers actively address the needs of skilled workers. This approach is also good for the economy as a whole.
Citation
Ying Zhou, Min Zou, Mark Williams, Is there a mid-career crisis? An investigation of the relationship between age and job satisfaction across occupations based on four large UK datasets, Socio-Economic Review, 2024;, mwae072, https://doi.org/10.1093/ser/mwae072
