Almost a quarter of British workers say their job is actively making them unhappy and one in ten are planning to quit this month. This is according to a new study that will increase concerns about productivity, retention and morale across the UK workforce.
The survey, conducted by international education group ACS, found that 9 percent of workers expect to hand in their resignation in January alone, with more than a third of those planning to resign wanting to do so on the first working Monday of the year.
The results come at a sensitive time for the UK economy as ministers seek to revive productivity growth, which has lagged behind international standards for more than a decade. Rachel Reeves promised to prioritize productivity in the fall budget, but the Office for Budget Responsibility subsequently cut its growth outlook, citing weaker expectations for output per worker.
Job dissatisfaction is increasingly seen as part of this problem. The UK already performs poorly in job satisfaction compared to other European economies, and employers are now faced with a workforce more willing to leave a job if it feels the work does not align with personal values, wellbeing or long-term prospects.
ACS research suggests that dissatisfaction translates into actions. In addition to those planning to quit, 16 percent of workers said they were thinking about returning to university or college, while 8 percent planned to request a sabbatical. More than a quarter said they plan to start their own business sometime this year, and 24 percent want to retrain in a different field.
Overall, 41 percent of respondents said they expect a major career transformation in 2026, underscoring how volatile and turbulent the job market has become.
Employers are also grappling with the changing expectations of younger workers. While factors such as hybrid working offer flexibility, they are associated with feelings of isolation, particularly among Generation Z employees. At the same time, enjoyment of work is increasingly taking precedence over traditional success criteria such as pay or job security.
More than two-thirds of young people surveyed said job satisfaction is more important to them than salary, stability or advancement – a shift that poses a challenge for companies still based on older models of motivation and rewards.
Research also points to deeper structural problems in career design. Martin Hall, headteacher at ACS Hillingdon, said many workers felt their career paths were limited too early by the UK education system.
“Research shows that the country’s workforce feels disadvantaged when it comes to their careers and the next generation fears the system is sending them in the same direction,” he said, arguing that students are being pushed to limit their options prematurely.
Two-thirds of parents surveyed agreed that the exam system forces children to specialize too early, limiting future career flexibility. Among working adults, one in five said they resent being “forced” into a particular career, while about one in six said they feel depressed about where they ended up career-wise.
For business leaders, the message is becoming increasingly clear: dissatisfaction is no longer a soft topic. In a tight labor market with weak productivity growth, employee satisfaction, purpose and development are becoming increasingly important for retention, performance and long-term competitiveness.
