8 industries with the happiest workers

Employee satisfaction is critical to keeping industries thriving, but some sectors stand out from the rest when it comes to keeping workers happy.  

Software company Deputy recently released its Hourly Worker Happiness Report which analyzed nearly half a million responses from shift workers across the U.S. Participating employees were asked to rate their day at work through Deputy's app. The software company then analyzed the data to find which industries have the happiest — and unhappiest — workers, and what was behind the differences in attitudes. 

"In light of nationwide labor shortages, understanding worker sentiments across industries is critical," says Silvija Martincevic, CEO of Deputy. "Businesses must now work even harder to retain and engage workers and create thriving workplaces." 

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While the healthcare industry had the highest percentage of employees overall who said they were frustrated or stressed at work, different professions within the field are some of the happiest. For example, 96% of dentists said they felt "amazing" or "good" after their shifts, as well as 88% of hospital staff and 85% of doctor's office or medical clinic workers. Workers at cafes, gyms and call centers also made the happiest list. 

For employees who said they were unhappy in their industry, staffing shortages were the leading cause. For example, 9% of workers at veterinary clinics reported feeling "stressed" and "frustrated" at the end of their shifts due to insufficient support at work, according to Deputy. Fourteen percent of delivery and postal workers also said they felt similar. Delivery drivers have faced labor shortages throughout the last few years, and the sector is currently missing over 2.6 million professional drivers, according to the 2022 Global Driver Shortage Report. 

See what other industries and professions made Deputy's list of happiest and unhappiest jobs: