The science behind why some people have better jobs than others

24 hours agoLast Updated: November 3, 2025

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5 key lessons about confidence in leadership

The science behind why some people have better jobs than others

By Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic | Published: 2025-11-03 12:00:00 | Source: Fast Company – leadership

Why are some jobs better than others?

Well, it largely depends on people’s preferences. In other words, one person’s dream job may be another person’s nightmare.

However, it is also clear that there are some universal or at least generalizable criteria that make most people accept that some jobs are objectively better than others – or at least Most see it As is generally preferred.

Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is a professor of organizational psychology at UCLA and Columbia University, and co-founder of DeeperSignals. He has authored 15 books and more than 250 scientific articles on the psychology of talent, leadership, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship.

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Reward and purpose

For example, jobs that pay well, provide stability, and offer growth opportunities are almost universally considered better. A tenure-track professorship, a senior engineering role at a prestigious company, or a stable medical position all combine financial security with long-term prospects and prestige. In contrast, low-paid, insecure, or endless roles (such as freelance work without benefits or exploitative manual labor with long, brutal shifts and an alienating experience) are widely viewed as worse, even if few individuals may appreciate their flexibility or simplicity.

Then there is autonomy. Jobs that give people a degree of control over how and when they work (for example, creative professionals, entrepreneurs, researchers) tend to have higher satisfaction scores than those defined by micromanagement or strict supervision. Autonomy is a proxy for trust and respect, and is strongly linked to both engagement and mental health. Few people dream of jobs where their every move is monitored, most aspire to roles where they can think, decide and act freely.

Unsurprisingly, purpose is also important. Careers that contribute to something meaningful (whether saving lives, advancing knowledge, or building something lasting) are viewed as more fulfilling than those that feel transactional or meaningless. A teacher who inspires students, a scientist who develops a vaccine, or an architect who designs a community space are all examples of work that gives a sense of legacy. In contrast, even lucrative jobs can seem empty when they lack purpose or moral value. This may explain the low correlation between pay and job satisfaction, which highlights the fact that we tend to overestimate the importance of compensation when making career choices. In this sense, the “better” jobs are not just about rewards, but about how they make people feel about themselves and their place in the world.

What does science say

A good way to acknowledge these nuances, while still predicting whether a person is likely to get better jobs, is to examine why some individuals have more choices than others. That is, in any job or labor market, available jobs or career opportunities may have different degrees of attractiveness or attractiveness; But from a job seeker’s perspective, the more employable you are, the more likely you are to find and keep a desirable job – whether we look at the subjective or objective dimensions of desire. With that in mind, here are some important lessons about the science of employability that explain why some people are better able to land desired jobs:

(1) Their personality
research It has consistently shown that employability is largely a function of personality. Traits such as conscientiousness, emotional stability, curiosity, and sociability predict not only who gets hired, but also who will thrive once hired. Personality forms reputation (The way others see us) and reputation determine whether we are trusted, promoted, and retained. For example, people who are dependable, calm under pressure, and open to learning tend to be more employable than those who are erratic, avoid feedback, or are difficult to work with. Moreover, personality also predicts Job satisfaction: Even in objectively good jobs, neurotic or disagreeable people are less likely to feel satisfied, while optimistic and adaptable individuals find meaning in a wider range of roles, and are resilient if not satisfied even in jobs that make most people miserable. In short, who you are determines what jobs you can get and how you feel about them once you have them.

(2) Their social class
While most advanced economies like to think of themselves as a meritocracy, data on social mobility I suggest otherwise. In the United States, about half of children born to parents in the bottom income quintile will ever move up the career ladder, and only 7% will reach the top income quintile. In the UK, the “class pay gap” between working class and professional backgrounds persists even among graduates. privilege Still buys access For education, networking, internships and employers wanting to seize the opportunity. Sociologists call this Social capital; In plain terms, this means that your parents’ contacts and credentials still matter more than your own potential. The world may be moving toward meritocracy, but it is not there yet.

(3) Your place of birth
Location remains one of the strongest predictors of career outcomes. the “Indicator of place of birth.” Countries are ranked according to the opportunities they offer to their citizens, and being born in Switzerland, Denmark or Singapore gives you much better odds of getting a good job than being born in Haiti, South Sudan or Bhutan. Access to education, infrastructure, technology, and basic security all shape employability. The same talent, if born in a country with weak institutions or unstable governance, is unlikely to achieve its potential. In this sense, geography is more likely than talent to determine fate, at least until global mobility or remote work appreciably narrows the gap.

(4) Their values, interests and preferences
Even in similar contexts, people differ in what they want from work. Psychologists love Shalom Schwartz and Robert Hogan It has shown that our motivational values (e.g., achievement, power, altruism, security, motivation, etc.) determine What is “appropriate”. It seems to us. Someone who values adventure and creativity will thrive in startups or design roles, while someone who craves structure and predictability may prefer government or finance. A mismatch between values and the work environment (for example, a highly independent person in a bureaucratic culture) leads to burnout or disengagement. The better your job aligns with your values, the more likely you are to consider it a good idea.

Adapt, evolve and improve

In the end, “better jobs” are not just better paid or better designed; They are more compatible with the people who carry them. Some of this is luck: being born into the right family, in the right country, with the right temperament, will simply provide you with a greater scope and choice of matches, so you’re bound to find more options. But a lot of it also depends on intentional self-awareness — understanding what kind of environments bring out your best, and aligning your career moves accordingly.

From a societal perspective, the goal should be to expand access to good jobs by improving education, reducing inequality, and helping people develop the skills and attributes that make them employable. This means focusing less on lineage and more on potential, less on relationships, and more on efficiency.

Ultimately, the world of work will never be completely fair, but it can be Fairer. While none of us can control where we start, we can control how we grow. The most employable people are not just those who fit into the system, but those who learn to adapt, evolve, and turn whatever job they have into something better.