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The share of US workers who are “thriving” has fallen to a record low

The present and future appear less positive for many Americans.

11/22/24 10:40AM

In January 2009, when the Great Recession had upended the everyday working lives of millions of Americans, Gallup started measuring the well-being of US employees with its Life Evaluation Index. Over 15 years later, the results look bleaker than ever.

T̶H̶R̶I̶V̶E̶ SURVIVE TILL 25

According to the latest reading, from August, the share of American workers “thriving” — those who when given a scale of 1 to 10 rate their life at a 7 or higher and their future situation at 8 or above — dropped to the lowest point on record, at just 50%. As recently as 2021, 60% said the same.

Gallup employee wellbeing chart — Sherwood News

Other employee-wellness indicators that Gallup tracks, like the share of people who reported feeling stressed, worried, or sad for “a lot of the day” yesterday, also ticked up in August, though they are down from the rates seen during the pandemic.

Despite the current Life Evaluation Index reading showing that American employees are feeling more positive on average than workers around the world, just 34% of whom slipped into the “thriving” category in 2023, inflation and plenty of issues besides are clearly weighing heavy on the US populace.

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JetBlue is raising its bag fees as fuel costs squeeze airlines

JetBlue will reportedly hike its bag fees, as the cost of jet fuel continues to climb amid the war in Iran. It’s the latest example of carriers finding ways to push rising costs onto travelers.

Last week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said that if fuel prices remain elevated, fares would need to rise another 20% for his airline to break even this year.

As CNBC reported, when one airline raises fees, others tend to follow.

Earlier this month, JetBlue hiked its first-quarter outlook for operating revenue per seat mile to between 5% and 7%, saying that strong Q1 demand helped “partially offset additional expenses realized from operational disruptions and rising fuel costs.” Now, the carrier appears to be making moves to further boost revenue to offset those costs.

Earlier on Monday, JetBlue rival Alaska Air lowered its Q1 profit forecast. The refining margins for the carrier’s cheapest fuel option — sourced from Singapore and representing about 20% of Alaska’s overall supply — have spiked 400% since February.

JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.