White-collar workers in their forties and fifties are more likely to experience career crises than lower-skilled workers in the same age group, according to recent research.
Professor Ying Zhou, lead author of the study and director of the Future of Work Research Centre at the University of Surrey, found that highly skilled workers, such as managers or professionals including lawyers and accountants, had a higher probability of experiencing a “mid-career crisis” or a period of low job satisfaction according to the study.
The study, published in Socio Economic Review, took data from more than 100,000 workers. It found the mid-life turbulence may stem from these employees having higher expectations of their career than lower-skilled workers. Previous research highlighted the connection between age and job satisfaction, but this study emphasised the role of occupation.
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Zhou wrote that: “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 forties 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.”
As the UK workforce continues to age, with a third of the workforce is aged 50 or over according to the Office for National Statistics, these findings demonstrate the need for companies to provide different support for their mid-career workers, Ann Francke, chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute, told The Times: “Employers who listen to what’s happening, who make it their business to understand that a dip in job satisfaction is normal and possibly adjust what they ask of those employees during trying times will keep their best performers.”
Those who did not listen were likely sending the wrong messages to their staff on company culture, she said.
Zhou’s research suggested that fostering an environment that encouraged career development and personal fulfilment, businesses could enhance the overall workplace culture. Understanding these dynamics was increasingly vital given the ageing workforce.
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