Metal workers are one of the least happy careers in the United States.
At CareerExplorer, we conduct an ongoing survey with millions of people and ask them how satisfied they are with their careers. As it turns out, metal workers rate their career happiness 2.5 out of 5 stars which puts them in the bottom 4% of careers.
To put this into perspective, we compared how happy metal workers are to similar careers in the industry. Take a look at the results below:
Salaries and satisfaction ratings in similar careers
| Career | Satisfaction | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Roofer | 2.6 | $47k |
| Butcher | 2.6 | $36k |
| Glazier | 2.6 | $47k |
| Exterminator | 2.5 | $38k |
| Forklift operator | 2.5 | $38k |
| Metal worker | 2.5 | $36k |
| Machine assembler | 2.4 | $47k |
| Garbage collector | 2.4 | $38k |
| Vehicle cleaner | 2.4 | $29k |
| Petroleum pump system operator | 2.3 | $80k |
So what does it mean to be happy in your career? Let’s break it down into different dimensions:
- Salary: Are metal workers happy with their salary?
- Meaning: Do metal workers find their jobs meaningful?
- Personality fit: How well suited are people’s personalities to their everyday tasks as metal workers?
- Work environment: How enjoyable are metal worker’s work environments?
- Skills utilization: Are metal workers making the best use of their abilities?
Are metal workers happy with their salary?
Metal workers rated their satisfaction with their salaries 2.6/5. Metal workers tend to be quite unhappy with their salary, with very few reporting satisfaction with their pay.
We asked metal workers how fairly compensated they are for their work.
Their response was:
2.6 out of 5 stars
78 metal workers
4% of metal workers rated their compensation 5 stars
21% of metal workers rated their compensation 4 stars
29% of metal workers rated their compensation 3 stars
24% of metal workers rated their compensation 2 stars
22% of metal workers rated their compensation 1 stars
Do metal workers find their jobs meaningful?
On average, metal workers rate the meaningfulness of their work a 2.1/5. The majority of metal workers struggle to find any sort of meaning in their work, likely resulting in less satisfaction with the career overall.
We asked metal workers how meaningful they found their work.
Their response was:
2.1 out of 5 stars
79 metal workers
5% of metal workers rated how meaningful they found their career 5 stars
13% of metal workers rated how meaningful they found their career 4 stars
14% of metal workers rated how meaningful they found their career 3 stars
24% of metal workers rated how meaningful they found their career 2 stars
44% of metal workers rated how meaningful they found their career 1 stars
How well are people’s personalities suited to everyday tasks as metal workers?
Metal workers rated their personality fit with their work an average of 2.9/5. Few metal workers seem to find that their personalities work mesh well with their career.
We asked metal workers how well their personalities fit into their careers.
Their response was:
2.9 out of 5 stars
83 metal workers
12% of metal workers rated their career fit 5 stars
28% of metal workers rated their career fit 4 stars
20% of metal workers rated their career fit 3 stars
16% of metal workers rated their career fit 2 stars
24% of metal workers rated their career fit 1 stars
How enjoyable is a metal worker’s work environment?
As a whole, metal workers rated their enjoyment of their work environment 2.7/5. Few metal workers enjoy their work environment, which helps contribute to a lower overall satisfaction in the career.
We asked metal workers how much they enjoyed their work environment.
Their response was:
2.7 out of 5 stars
82 metal workers
11% of metal workers rated their work environment 5 stars
24% of metal workers rated their work environment 4 stars
13% of metal workers rated their work environment 3 stars
23% of metal workers rated their work environment 2 stars
28% of metal workers rated their work environment 1 stars
Are metal workers making the best use of their abilities?
Former metal workers on CareerExplorer have rated their skills utilization 2.5/5. Most feel that their skills are being underutilized in the career, probably leading to more general dissatisfaction with being a metal worker.
We asked metal workers how well their abilities were used in their careers.
Their response was:
2.5 out of 5 stars
83 metal workers
8% of metal workers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 5 stars
16% of metal workers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 4 stars
22% of metal workers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 3 stars
22% of metal workers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 2 stars
33% of metal workers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 1 stars