Good Jobs vs. Great Jobs

And Why It Matters

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Jim Clifton, Gallup Chairman and CEO, was recently interviewed on the global need for “good jobs” by South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper. Here are a couple of takeaways from the interview.

One of Gallup’s biggest discoveries ever is, everyone in the world wants a good job. Of the 7 billion people in the world, there are 5 billion adults aged 15 and older. Of these 5 billion, 3 billion tell Gallup they desire a full-time job. Only 1.3 billion actually have a good job, which means that the real unemployment rate in the world is over 50%.

What is the definition of a good job? Gallup defines a good job as one with 30+ hours of work a week with a consistent paycheck from an employer.

What is the definition of a great job? A great job is a job in which you believe your boss cares about your development, you can use your strengths every day at work (employees who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged than those who do not) and you believe your work makes a contribution to something. So your job matters and, subsequently, your life matters.

Your turn… Do you have a good job or a great job?

Are you a good company or a great company?