Did you know that most Asian Americans aren’t satisfied with their salary? That’s what a new Pew Research Center survey has found, shedding light on the experiences of Asian American workers in the U.S.

The study, titled “How Americans View Their Jobs,” was conducted by the Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP) and surveyed nearly 6,000 workers, including 259 English-speaking Asian American adults. The goal? To explore how American workers of different racial backgrounds feel about their current jobs and experiences in the workplace.

Overall, the survey found that only half of U.S. workers are extremely or very satisfied with their job. Less than half expressed high levels of satisfaction with opportunities for skills development and promotion. However, Asian Americans stood out with only 28% saying they were extremely or very satisfied with their pay, making it the lowest percentage among all racial groups.

But wait, there’s more! Asians were also the racial group with the lowest percentage of respondents who felt that their contributions were valued a fair amount and that they were highly satisfied with their relationship with their boss.

When it comes to being themselves at work, only 60% of Asian workers said they could do so all or most of the time, with 25% having experienced discrimination in the workplace due to their race or ethnicity. On a brighter note, most Asian workers believe their workplaces to be safe, with only 13% reporting that safety and health conditions were fair or poor.

There are nearly 20 million Asian American citizens living in the U.S., with 8.8 million of them in the workforce. They’re overrepresented in both low-paying occupations (like manicurists and cooks) and high-paying professions (such as technical fields).

While the experiences of Asian Americans in the workplace do vary by gender, age, and income, it’s important to note that the survey’s findings might not paint the whole picture. The relatively small sample size of Asian adults in the study and the fact that they were primarily English-speaking might not be fully representative of the overall Asian adult population.

So, what’s the takeaway? It’s clear that there’s still work to be done to ensure that Asian American workers feel valued, satisfied, and fairly treated in their jobs. As we continue to strive for a more inclusive and equitable society, let’s keep these conversations going and work towards positive change in the workplace.

Written by Robert D