Changing Jobs Might Increase Salary, but not Happiness – Spiceworks

In this article, we’ll focus on insights we’ve uncovered on the relationship between money and happiness.

What’s the best way to increase salary?

In conversations among IT professionals in the Spiceworks Community, one key complaint about their profession is the relatively low pay they receive for the valuable work they do. Data from our recent 2024 job satisfaction study shows that many workers are currently searching for a new job in hopes of securing higher wages.

Among study participants, more than half searched for a new job or changed jobs within the last two years. The top two reasons respondents looked for or switched jobs both relate to getting ahead in their careers:

• 70% – Salary increase
• 65% – Opportunities for career growth

Importantly, most IT professionals surveyed (64%) believe switching jobs is the best way to secure a higher salary. The likelihood of one holding this belief increases depending on several factors, including age, organization size, and whether or not respondents recently switched jobs.

Agreement with the statement, “Changing jobs is the easiest way to increase your salary,” among IT professionals:

• 74% of Millennials vs. 62% of Boomers and 60% of Gen X
• 74% of IT pros in Enterprises (1000+ employees) vs. 56% in small businesses (
• 73% among those who changed jobs in the last two years vs. 51% of IT pros who didn’t look for a job

How much do job changers stand to gain?

Among recent IT job switchers, 63% reported receiving higher pay in their new role, compared to 20% who saw a salary decrease and 16% whose salary remained the same. Among those who secured a higher salary due to a job change, most saw earnings grow by more than 10%.

But did the salary bump result in greater happiness? The answer might surprise you.

In our study, the old saying that “money can’t buy happiness” rings especially true. In fact, study participants who changed jobs within the last two years were less likely to report being happy at work (37%) than average (52%). Additionally, many said that they were already pondering their next move: 42% of recent job switchers were already considering leaving.

Why doesn’t money buy happiness?

As previously mentioned, Spiceworks and Aberdeen Strategy & Research have determined that the following factors most influence workplace happiness: rewarding work, opportunities for career growth, supportive management, company culture, and salary.

While each factor contributes to happiness, being satisfied in just one area — such as salary — in the absence of others does not make for happy workers. For example, some happy workers are unsatisfied with their salary, but other factors make up for lower pay.

When we compared responses from happy survey respondents despite being unsatisfied with their salary vs. unhappy respondents that were satisfied with their salary, key trends emerged.

The happy group with unsatisfactory pay was significantly more likely to report the following compared to the unhappy group with satisfactory pay:

• Being satisfied with company culture
• Feeling connected to others at work
• Having peers who help each other
• Having bosses that set them up for success
• Having a manageable workload
• Being able to find another similar job easily
• Feeling their career helps them achieve their personal goals

What should you look for in a new job if you want to be happy?

To reiterate, money does not necessarily buy happiness. When searching for a new job, salary should not be the only criterion. The interview process is not only a chance for the employer to evaluate the candidate. Anyone applying for a job should also interview those at the potential future employer.

If you want to be happy in your next role, consider asking the following questions:

• How does management set workers up for success?
• What would my career growth path look like in this role?
• What’s special about company culture in this organization?
• Why are you proud to work here?

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