Only 2 in 5 U.S. employees hold a true “quality job.”
The new American Job Quality Study (Gallup, JFF, Families & Workers Fund, W.E. Upjohn Institute, Jan 13–Feb 25) finds that quality jobs meet basic financial needs, ensure safety/respect, build skills, give employees a voice, and provide some control over work.
5 takeaways :
• Gen Z is least covered: Just 29% of 18–24-year-olds report a quality job.
• Financial strain persists: Nearly 30% of workers are “just getting by” or worse; in health & medical, 22% “just getting by + 8%** struggling.
• Respect is solid but not universal: 83% feel respected (46% strongly, 37% somewhat); health & medical is similar (45% / 39%).
• Overscheduled is the norm: 54% work longer than scheduled (health & medical 53%).
• Quality drives outcomes: Quality-job holders report far higher work satisfaction, happiness, and perceived health.
Why this matters for hospital executives:
Retention & vacancy: Elevating job quality (pay clarity, scheduling control, voice in decisions) is a direct lever to cut churn and premium labor.
Early-career pipeline: Gen Z’s low quality-job rate is a warning—tighten onboarding, mentorship, and growth paths to keep new nurses and leaders.
Safety & respect = culture: Unit-level respect and psychological safety correlate with quality; leaders must model it daily.
Operational reliability: Predictable staffing and flexible scheduling reduce overscheduling—supporting patient experience and outcomes.
What we do at Bileddo Associates:
We place leaders who build quality-job environments—clear staffing plans, growth pathways, and front-line voice—so you retain teams, shrink vacancy, and stabilize labor costs.
Source: American Job Quality Study (Gallup, Jobs for the Future, Families & Workers Fund, W.E. Upjohn Institute).
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