Despite widespread economic anxiety among American households, shift workers are actually feeling better about their jobs than they did a year ago.
A new annual survey from Deputy, a global firm helping small businesses manage scheduling and human resources, shows a notable improvement in worker morale across shift-based industries.
The survey found that 78.9% of workers “reported feeling positive at the end of their shifts,” an increase of nearly half a percentage point from the previous year.
Workers reporting unhappiness dropped to 5.9%, down from 6.6%, marking the lowest reading in the survey’s four-year history.
This contrasts sharply with broader consumer sentiment data from institutions including the University of Michigan, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and the Conference Board, all of which point to rising financial anxiety.
Silvija Martincevic, CEO at Deputy, said the findings reflect deeper structural shifts taking place across the workforce right now.
“This result comes at a time of significant workforce change,” said Martincevic. “This shift matters because workers at different stages of life report very different experiences at work, making this generational transition an important part of the story behind this year’s results.”
One key driver of that generational transition is the growing dominance of Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, who now make up the largest segment of the shift-based workforce.
Breaking down results by sector, hospitality led all major categories with an 82.98% positive rating, followed closely by retail at 82.62%.
Healthcare, despite leading the nation in job creation for the second consecutive year, recorded the lowest positive rating among the four main categories at 72.89%.
At the sub-sector level, gambling scored a remarkable 100% positive rating, making casino work the theoretically happiest shift-based occupation in the country.
Rhode Island also achieved a perfect score, which the survey attributed to “tight labor markets and robust hospitality and tourism industries, both of which perform well on a national scale.”
The popularity of gaming “likely stems from a vibrant customer-facing atmosphere paired with the benefits of tips and collaborative team structures,” according to the survey findings.
Other high-performing sub-sectors included firearms stores at 89.53%, cafes and coffee shops at 89.50%, and accommodation at 84.09%.
Cafe and coffee shop workers recorded the highest share of “amazing” responses at 72.64%, suggesting genuine enthusiasm among workers in that segment.
The most negative responses came from tobacco, e-cigarette and marijuana stores at 13.34%, animal health at 13.07%, and care facilities at 11.55%.
Geographically, Alaska came second only to Rhode Island with a 95.35% positive rating, while Hawaii ranked third at 92.89%.
The most negative ratings were recorded in Arkansas at 12.68%, New Hampshire at 12.31%, and the District of Columbia at 11.11%.
Generationally, Generation Alpha led all age groups with an 88.88% positive rating, while Gen Z followed at 78.42%.
One notable trend the survey’s authors flagged was the growing number of workers responding simply with “okay,” a category that rose to 15.2% and was the fastest-growing response group.
“Workplace morale stays high when businesses focus on reliable scheduling, equitable pay, and meaningful appreciation,” the survey concluded, warning that neglecting these fundamentals pushes workers toward neutrality or causes them to leave altogether.