According to a study conducted by Pew Research Center, most Asian Americans are unhappy with their current salary.
Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel conducted a survey of nearly 6000 American workers. They sought to determine how Americans feel about their current employment.
Of the participants, Asian workers were the least likely to report satisfaction with their salary. 28% of surveyed Asians were “extremely happy” or “very happy” with their salary; this is compared to 29% of Hispanic workers, 29% of Black workers, and 37% of White workers. These figures remain true despite Asians, on average, earning the highest salaries of any ethnic group.
Asian Americans were also the group with the lowest percentage of people who believe their contributions at work are valued by their peers. The researchers did note, however, that since only English-speaking Asians were surveyed, their sample may not be representative of the overall population.
The survey was highly comprehensive and produced some other interesting results, notably:
- Older workers were found to have a more positive view of their job. This includes overall satisfaction, relationships with superiors, day-to-day tasks, opportunities for promotions, enjoyment, and fulfillment.
- Nearly 40% of workers described their career as “very important” or “extremely important” to their personal identity. This is a larger share than other categories such as “somewhat important” or “not at all important”
- White workers are the least likely to feel discriminated against in the workplace at 8%. That number jumps to 20% for Hispanic workers, 25% for Asian workers, and 41% for black workers.
- 62% of workers said that paid time off is “extremely important” to their personal careers, yet nearly half of workers (52%) report taking less PTO than allotted by their employer.
