Rising from 18% in 2022, economic hardship appears to be a driving factor, with 47% of the UK workforce having little to no money left at the end of the month after expenses, and a further 15% struggling with household bills. As a result, 12% of UK workers hold more than one job, primarily to earn additional income.

The economic squeeze is also influencing pay demands, with 34% planning to request a pay increase within the year, up from 27% in 2022.

Sarah Moore, head of people and organisation at PwC UK, said: “It’s clear that workplace dissatisfaction looms large – with pay, workload and overall fulfilment at the top of employees’ minds.

“As economic conditions remain uncertain, employers will have less means to respond through pay, so will need to find more flexible and innovative approaches to engaging their staff.

Sarah Moore

“Organisations who continue to prioritise their people and invest in programmes focussed on wellbeing, flexible working, career progression and more personalised benefits will reap the rewards of employee loyalty.”

Lack of resourcing, unachievable targets and inadequate managerial support contribute to the sentiment of being overworked, which is particularly pronounced within the health, government/public services, and retail & consumer sectors.

While 21% of the workforce are unhappy with their current roles, the survey reveals apprehension regarding AI, with only 19% of UK workers believing it will boost productivity and a mere 17% seeing AI as an opportunity to learn new skills. Nearly half (47%) are uncertain about the impact of AI on their roles in the next five years. However, a generational split is observed, with younger workers being more optimistic about AI creating new job opportunities.

This uncertainty extends to the rapidly evolving skill requirements. About half (49%) of UK workers anticipate that their job will necessitate different skills within five years. Soft skills are viewed as vital to career advancement by 63% of respondents, but 46% believe that employers prioritise job history too much. Furthermore, there is a lack of confidence in employers’ capacity to provide opportunities for development of crucial transferable skills, including adaptability, critical thinking, and collaboration.

Laura Hinton, tax, legal and people and organisation leader at PwC UK, said: “Businesses continue to undergo massive change – accelerated by AI – and leaders are thinking about how they can use emerging technology to improve jobs, skills and workforce productivity. The survey shows a paradox that UK workers are less positive about AI than workers globally, but at the same time don’t believe it will impact their jobs.

“The truth is, AI is both a threat and an opportunity – equipping workers to understand the impact and use it responsibly will help them maximise the opportunity and unlock productivity. That’s why we’re investing heavily in AI at PwC and incorporating it into everyday work.”

Ms Moore added: “Businesses are going through a time of significant disruption- skills shortages, technology advancements and new ways of working means CEOs need to listen to their workforce to successfully adapt. Key to this will be the necessity of leaders to engage the workforce to this change and equip them with the skills of the future.

“The skills shortage is not a new problem, but as our data shows, there is a mismatch between the skills required and those that employees see as central to their development.

“In this context, shifting to a human centric skills based organisation could be key. Employers who use skills to find the right people for the right job will widen their talent pool, allowing them to find talent hiding in plain sight.”