Labor Day poll: Here’s how long it’s been since the average worker has gotten a pay raise

Labor Day—the holiday celebrating the American worker—is just around the corner. But while employees may be happy about hot dogs, brewskis, and the federally mandated day off, chances are, they aren’t happy about their pay.

According to a new poll of nearly 2,000 adults by the market research company OnePoll, the average employee hasn’t received a raise in three years. That information would be problematic enough, even if the cost of living wasn’t absolutely soaring—but thanks to inflation and the economy, Americans are feeling the strain.

Many are surely overdue for a pay bump, so it’s not surprising that according to the report, 46% out of 1,859 employees said they feel “somewhat recognized” at work, while 8% said they don’t feel recognized at all.

That’s not their only woe. The data also showed that many members of Gen X and the baby boomer generation are worried about job security (45% and 49% respectively) and wage gaps (44% and 46% respectively). Meanwhile, 53% of millennials are worried about cuts to their salary, while Gen Z’s top concern, at 69%, is national worker strikes.

And worker strikes seem to be constantly looming. Of the survey respondents, 41% said they’ve participated in one, with the biggest reason being to push for better work schedules (68%). Higher pay was also important (58%), followed by better health insurance (56%) and better benefits (48%). Union membership was split, with 43% saying they belong to one and 43% saying they do not, but of the former group, almost nobody regretted the decision to unionize, with 93% saying it was one of the best work-related decisions they’ve ever made.

You can’t poll Americans about pay and not address the pay gap: Today, 73% believe it’s still “very real.” But more men (58%) believe their pay has to do with their gender than women (54%).

Overall, as Labor Day looms, American workers are generally struggling to feel appreciated. According to a survey earlier this year from USA Today and Suffolk Poll, 52% of Americans said they felt the United States has become too expensive to live in. So if there are fewer hot dogs and brewskis at the barbecue this weekend, sure, you could blame inflation. But given this new data, a total lack of raises to help people keep up with that inflation is fair game, too.