You might expect an unemployment level of 10 per cent to make those who are employed pretty happy with their jobs.

But the Conference Board, a not-for-profit corporation that provides information and analysis to US business, has just found the lowest levels of job satisfaction for 20 years.
 
Based on a survey of 5,000 households, the board found only 45 per cent of Americans satisfied with their jobs, down from 61.1 per cent in 1987. When asked to say which part of the job they liked best, the greatest number opted for the commute to and fro.
 
The decline in job satisfaction has been steady, and shows no sign of reversing.  But The Washington Post, which  published a good analysis of the survey, points out that Gallup and the University of Chicago, who carry out similar polls, say job satisfaction has been stable for decades.
 
The Post concludes with a quote from cartoonist Scott Adams who writes the Dilbert strip. "When the economy was good, everybody was happier, no matter what the job was," he said. "The fact you can't change jobs in this economy makes you think your current job is worse."