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Teachers, nurses and retail staff among UK's unhappiest workers

A survey found that more than half of UK workers are unsatisfied with their level of pay

Roisin O'Connor
Tuesday 27 January 2015 14:07 GMT
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Businessman at desk circa 1950s
Businessman at desk circa 1950s (George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images)

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Shop assistants, teachers and hospitality staff are some of the unhappiest workers in the UK when it comes to their wages.

A survey that delved into the widespread dissatisfaction over pay rates has found that more than half of UK workers (52 per cent) are unsatisfied with their level of pay.

Jobs search engine Adzuna based the study on results from more than 1,000 respondents, with retail workers coming out on top with 65 per cent saying they were not satisfied over pay.

Surprisingly lawyers – who are not known for being poorly paid - were the employees who felt almost as poorly paid as retail workers: 63 per cent of those questioned saying they were unhappy about the money they earned.

At the other end of the spectrum, just 20 per cent of consultants said they were dissatisfied with current pay rates, with those employed in manufacturing, IT and technology, and HR following closely behind.

Here are the lists in full:

Unhappiest workers:

Retail - 65% dissatisfied with current pay

Legal - 63% dissatisfied with current pay

Hospitality & Catering - 59% dissatisfied with current pay

Healthcare & Nursing - 51% dissatisfied with current pay

Teaching & Education - 50% dissatisfied with current pay

Happiest workers:

Consultancy - 20% dissatisfied with current pay

Manufacturing - 36% dissatisfied with current pay

IT & technology - 40% dissatisfied with current pay

HR & Recruitment - 46% dissatisfied with current pay

Charity & Non-profit - 47% dissatisfied with current pay

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