Economists have discovered the relationship between job satisfaction, age, and profession.

Recent studies have addressed many questions regarding the psychology of professional activity. For instance, researchers explained why individuals agree to work with harsh bosses, and also discovered that sensitive employees are more beneficial than stress-resistant ones.

Experts from the University of Reading and Queen Mary University of London (both located in the UK) examined how job satisfaction levels change over time among different individuals. The findings of the research were published in the academic journal Socio-Economic Review.

The authors of the publication analyzed data from 108,401 working adults. The sample encompassed all regions, sectors, and professions in the UK. The aim of the study was to determine whether all categories of employees experience a mid-career crisis and to understand how job satisfaction evolves in the early stages of professional life.

The study revealed that for managers and highly skilled professionals, job satisfaction throughout their careers follows a clear U-shaped trajectory. This indicates that in the early stages of their professional lives, such employees are content with their jobs, but this satisfaction typically declines by mid-career (usually in middle age), before rising again.

For middle and lower-level workers, however, the research outcomes were different: according to new data, they encounter mid-career crises much less frequently at ages 40-50.

“While job dissatisfaction is common among many middle-aged workers, it is important to recognize that this is not a universal phenomenon. Our results indicate that for managers and highly skilled specialists, job satisfaction typically declines most sharply at age 40, but often rebounds later in life. Middle and lower-level workers generally do not exhibit a U-shaped trajectory. This challenges the widespread belief that a mid-career crisis is an experience everyone faces,” the authors of the article noted.

In their view, the identified pattern is unlikely to be explained by factors such as frequent conflicts at work and home. More likely, it relates to factors connected to the professional environment that disproportionately affect high-skilled workers. This is crucial for both employees aged 40-50 and the companies they work for to consider.

By creating special conditions for middle-aged individuals that promote career growth and self-realization, it is possible to reduce dissatisfaction with professional activities and enhance the overall work culture.