Among the UK’s unhappiest workers are legal workers, accountants, shop assistants and people in the hospitality sector, according to a survey that shows widespread dissatisfaction with pay. Photograph: Bluekat/Alamy

The UK's unhappiest workers – retail staff, lawyers and accountants

This article is more than 9 years old

A new survey shows deep unease across the UK over pay, particularly among those who work in shops, the law, and the accountancy and finance sector

Shop assistants, legal workers and accountants are among the unhappiest workers in the UK when it comes to their pay, according to a survey that highlights widespread dissatisfaction after years of falling real wages.

Ministers have seized on news that average pay growth is now faster than inflation, but behind the headline numbers there is still plenty of evidence many households are not feeling any better.

Averages only tell part of the story and a survey from jobs search engine Adzuna highlights that some of the unhappiest workers are in retail and hospitality, both sectors that have come under fire for low pay and the use of zero-hour contracts.

Consultants are the happiest profession, on the other hand, with just one in five voicing complaints about their annual earnings. Workers in the technology and manufacturing sectors were also among the most content, according the poll of some 1,000 UK workers.

Unhappiest workers:

Retail - 64% dissatisfied with current pay
Legal - 64% dissatisfied with current pay
Accountancy & Finance – 59% dissatisfied with current pay
Hospitality & Catering - 59% dissatisfied with current pay
Construction – 58% dissatisfied with current pay

Happiest workers:

Consultancy - 20% dissatisfied with current pay
Manufacturing - 36% dissatisfied with current pay
IT & technology - 39% dissatisfied with current pay
HR & Recruitment - 46% dissatisfied with current pay
Energy, Oil & Gas - 47% dissatisfied with current pay

Unsurprisingly, after the longest squeeze on real pay for decades, the survey found more than half (52%) of Britain’s employees were unhappy with their pay. A mere 3% are completely satisfied with their current salary level.

But Adzuna, which says it has come up with a way for people to calculate their “market value”, suggests now is a good time to ask for a pay rise.

Adzuna co-founder Andrew Hunter says:

Wages have been stagnant and consistently lagging behind inflation. That said, our data suggests that employers across the country are starting to lift the lid on rates of pay.

The picture from the search engine’s vacancies and salary data echoes the latest official figures showing that annual wages increased by an average of 1.8% in the year to November, the fastest pace for two years.

That means wages were also finally rising faster than inflation, meaning pay rises in real terms. But again, behind the average numbers, the picture is uneven and varies by region as well as profession.

The UK's happiest and unhappiest workers — Workers in south-west England were most satisfied with their pay with those in the east the least happy. Photograph: Adzuna

The survey suggests the most dissatisfied workers are based in the east of England, where almost two-thirds of those surveyed felt underpaid. That was closely followed by the East Midlands and Scotland. Employees in the south-west were happiest with their pay, followed by the north-west and London.

For anyone contemplating a change of career to secure higher pay, Adzuna has also compiled a list of sectors with the fastest-rising wages and the slowest.