Part 4/9:
The underlying reality is that many workers face crushing workloads and prolonged hours out of fear of job security or the misguided belief that it might lead to a promotion.
Financial Disparity
The third reason for the discontent in the workforce is financial insecurity. While it's true that average wages appear to be increasing, the reality is far more complex. A deeper dive reveals that while nominal wages may rise, they lag significantly behind the growth in living costs.
For a family of four, essential expenses have inflated sharply from around $13,227 in 1985—requiring 30 weeks of work—to a staggering $54,441 by 2018, demanding 53 weeks of effort. The troubling part? There are only 52 weeks in a year, highlighting a disheartening gap between income and expenses.