CorpComms Magazine

Employees with a PhD are the most engaged within a workforce but suffer the highest levels of stress and insecurities about job security, a new report by GfK Research Dynamics has shown.

The study of more than 2,000 North American workers found that 38 per cent of employees with a PhD qualification are highly engaged while just one in four employees whose formal education ended at high school feel the same way.

But three in ten employees with a PhD, who traditionally are viewed as the 'knowledge workers' or 'creative class' on which companies depend,  worry about job security, having the appropriate level of resources and the pressure to work long hours,  29 per cent are stressed at work and one third struggle to maintain a work-life balance.

Almost four in ten (39 per cent) employees with master's degrees worry about stress while one in four employees fret about work-life balance.

The survey also found that age and industry plays a significant role in the level of engagement. The most engaged employees are aged 60 years and over, with 35 per cent highly engaged, while just 24 per cent of employees aged between 18 and 29 feel highly engaged.

Annie Balant, director of employee research at GfK Research Dynamics, said: 'Having more education may mean an employee is more sought after in the job market, however these educated employees are also feeling job stress and pressure.'

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