UK Shift Work Happiness Report 2025: Vape Shop Employees Rank Highest in Wellbeing

Key Points:

·Overall job satisfaction among shift workers in the UK has decreased, with a satisfaction rate of 72.21%. 

·The healthcare industry experiences the greatest pressure, with nearly 40% of employees reporting negative emotions, five times the national average. 

·Employees at tobacco and e-cigarette shops have the highest satisfaction rate, at 93.42%, with the retail industry also showing strong levels of happiness. 

·There are significant regional differences, with Warwickshire having the highest level of happiness and West Midlands County ranking the lowest. 

【2Firsts News Flash】According to a report by Care Home Professional on July 9th, based on the latest data from the global shift-based workforce platform Vice, shift workers in the UK are among the most emotionally stressed individuals. The platform released its annual "Shift Pulse Report 2025" today, which is one of the largest-scale emotional studies conducted on shift workers in the UK. Shift-based businesses refer to those where employees work on rotating shifts, rather than traditional 9 to 5 work hours.

E-cigarette shops, cafes, and childcare centers top the list of happiest places.

In the retail sector, tobacco and e-cigarette store employees have the highest job satisfaction, with 93.42% of employees reporting positive attitudes. Additionally, sit-down restaurants (89.73%), fast food restaurants (82.88%), flower shops (82.86%), and fast casual eateries (82.45%) round out the top five.

Top 10 Happiest Industries (by Happiness Percentage):

1.Tobacco, e-cigarette, and vape shops - 93.4% 

2.Sit-down restaurants - 89.7% 

3.Fast food/cashier restaurants - 82.9% 

4.Flower shops - 82.9% 

5.Gourmet fast casual shops - 82.5% 

6.Coffee shops - 82% 

7.Dentists - 81.8% 

8.Daycares, community centers - 78.4% 

9.Food services - 75.3% 

10.Cleaning services - 64.3% 

These roles could benefit from clearer daily tasks, manageable workloads, and stronger team cohesion - emphasizing the emotional value of operational structure and positive workplace culture.

The report is based on over 1.2 million anonymous shift-ending surveys submitted through Vice's Shift Pulse tool from April 2024 to April 2025, revealing a decrease in happiness among shift workers nationwide, with significant pressure on healthcare and frontline support roles.

The healthcare industry is facing particular pressure. The highest dissatisfaction rates are found in doctor's offices and medical clinics in the UK, where 37.84% of employees reported negative emotions, nearly five times higher than the national average. Other top ten industries with high dissatisfaction rates include: [list to be added].

·Animal healthcare (17.95%)

·Spine massagers (12.93%)

·Emergency services (12.05%)

·Call centers (12.00%)

·Care institutions (6.22%)

These are believed to be the main reasons for the decline in morale in the NHS and the wider care industry, due to staffing shortages, emotional stress, unstable shift times, and an aging population.

Economic pressure intensifies, national happiness declines.

In the UK, overall job satisfaction among shift workers has declined by 3.79 percentage points from 76.0% in 2024 to 72.21%. The net happiness index currently stands at 65.43%, reflecting low morale nationwide.

Despite facing challenges, some industries are thriving. The retail industry (75.63%), the hospitality industry (75.41%), and the service industry (71.79%) have emerged as the top industries for happiness in the UK. This clearly indicates that investing in team culture, predictable scheduling, and clear operations can lead to significant improvements.