Does hard work always pay off? If it does pay off, is it always worth the effort?
Many of us were hardwired to correlate hard work and success, but the harsh truth is working hard is not the magic ingredient to success, and this is partly why celebrating hustle culture in the workplace is toxic.
From the outside, hustle culture seems to be motivational, as it promotes diligence and going above and beyond. However, beneath the shiny facade lies a dangerous productivity trap of normalizing overworking and setting unattainable goals. Hustle culture had its moment back in the early 2000s but it is losing its sheen now.
Our data science team analyzes job ads between January 2020 and March 2024, identifying the number of advertised vacancies and the proportion of anti-hustle and hustle jobs, as well as top sectors for work-life balance.
If you are done with hustle culture, read on to find out the top sectors in the US promoting work-life balance.
Hustle culture explained
Hustle culture, also known as burnout culture nowadays, refers to a mentality that emphasizes working harder and longer is the only route to success. It glorifies the lifestyle of overworking and long hours, encouraging workers to constantly hustle for their professional goals, even at the expense of their health, well-being, and personal relationships.
The rise
Once upon a time, circa the 2000s, from Wall Street conglomerates to Silicon Valley startups, hustling was the song sung by many successful entrepreneurs, CEOs, and celebrities. Many Millennials who just entered the workforce at that time happily joined this productivity cult in the hope of moving up the corporate ladder swiftly and reaching all their professional goals.
The fall
In recent years, perhaps in the aftermath of the pandemic, there has been a heightened awareness of health and well-being among workers. The grind mentality and the workaholic persona no longer appeal to the modern workforce, and the hustle culture is de facto considered toxic. Relentless work and devoting your life to work solely can have serious repercussions on physical health, mental health, and personal life, such as triggering nervous breakdowns, and strained relationships with family and friends, to name a few – not to mention hustling does not guarantee “success” at all.
Gen Zs are canceling hustle culture, replacing it with anti-hustle movements like “Quiet Quitting”, “Lazy Girl Job”, and “Bare Minimum Monday”. Meanwhile, Millennials who used to idolize hustle culture in their 20s realize the rise-and-grind culture is built on a bed of lies and decide to detach themselves from putting work as their main priority in life.
Anti-hustle jobs on the rise
Good news – hustle culture is on its way out. Our Adzuna data has shown that anti-hustle jobs are steadily rising.
Anti-hustle jobs are defined as positions that emphasize work-life balance and overall well-being over relentless productivity and long working hours. Our data team looked for keywords among job ads, such as “work-life balance”, “at your own pace”, “structured office hours”, “no overtime”, and “duvet days”. Meanwhile, hustle jobs are characterized by their demanding nature and emphasis on constant productivity. We looked for red flags like “can-do attitude”, “work hard, play hard”, “we are family”, “occasional overtime”, and “meetings across multiple time zones”.
In March 2024, there were 648,548 anti-hustle jobs, accounting for 8.7% of all jobs in the US. This is the highest level we’ve seen since coming out of the pandemic. Compared to pre-pandemic times, there has been a +356% increase in the number of advertised jobs advocating for work-life balance, up from 142,168 jobs in Jan 2020.
As for hustle jobs, while there is still a high proportion of hustle jobs, our data shows signs of the decline since coming out of the pandemic, down almost -5% from 1,418,777 advertised jobs in March 2022 to 1,349,318 jobs in March 2024.
Top sectors for work-life balance
Healthcare & Nursing
Number of advertised anti-hustle jobs, Mar ‘24 (proportion): 136,603 jobs (8.9%)
Healthcare and nursing is the best sector to look for anti-hustle jobs, with close to 140,000 jobs featuring work-life balance keywords in their job ads in March 2024. On top of that, there were also more anti-hustle jobs than hustle jobs (131,894 jobs) in this sector, meaning there’s a higher chance for jobseekers to find a job promoting work-life balance.
IT
Number of advertised anti-hustle jobs, Mar ‘24 (proportion): 78,204 jobs (13.8%)
While the IT sector is known for crunching before project deadlines, many tech jobs offer flexible working options for work-life balance. The sector has the highest proportion of anti-hustle jobs, with more than one in eight job ads citing work-life balance keywords. Another bonus point is that the average salary of anti-hustle job ads is $7,391 higher than hustle jobs.
Accounting & Finance
Number of advertised anti-hustle jobs, Mar ‘24 (proportion): 28,968 jobs (10.1%)
While hustle jobs outnumber anti-hustle jobs in accounting & finance, anti-hustle roles offer a more lucrative paycheck ($95,113) than hustle jobs ($89,627) on average.
Hospitality & Catering
Number of advertised anti-hustle jobs, Mar ‘24 (proportion): 93,010 jobs (12.6%)
A substantial 13% of job ads in the hospitality sector offer a signing bonus. More than 93,010 anti-hustle jobs are up for grabs in March 2024. The industry can be demanding, with irregular schedules and peak periods during weekends and holidays. Many employers offer perks such as employee discounts and flexible scheduling to promote a work-life balance.
Creative & Design
Number of advertised anti-hustle jobs, Mar ‘24 (proportion): 2,638 (7.7%)
More than a quarter of the jobs in the creative industry reinforce hustle culture, with only 2,638 jobs advocating for work-life balance in March 2024. Nevertheless, the average paycheck of anti-hustle jobs in the sector ($75,538) is way higher than hustle job ads ($74,876) – a whopping $19,585 difference!
Number of anti-hustle and hustle jobs, by sector
| Sector | Advertised vacancies of ‘anti-hustle’ jobs, Mar '24 | Advertised vacancies of ‘hustle’ jobs, Mar '24 | Proportion of ‘anti-hustle’ jobs, Mar ‘24 | Proportion of ‘hustle’ jobs, Mar ‘24 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting & Finance | 28,968 | 79,202 | 10.1% | 27.7% | |||
| Admin | 7,300 | 31,180 | 3.3% | 14.0% | |||
| Charity & Voluntary | 50 | 91 | 8.7% | 15.9% | |||
| Consultancy | 6,178 | 13,033 | 8.1% | 17.0% | |||
| Creative & Design | 2,638 | 9,914 | 7.7% | 28.8% | |||
| Customer Services | 15,230 | 37,945 | 8.8% | 21.8% | |||
| Domestic help & Cleaning | 1,734 | 6,379 | 4.8% | 17.8% | |||
| Energy | 2,500 | 7,517 | 6.0% | 18.1% | |||
| Engineering | 32,193 | 93,855 | 5.6% | 16.2% | |||
| Graduate | 552 | 1,464 | 4.0% | 10.6% | |||
| Healthcare & Nursing | 136,603 | 131,894 | 8.9% | 8.6% | |||
| Hospitality & Catering | 93,010 | 224,725 | 12.6% | 30.5% | |||
| HR & Recruitment | 7,008 | 16,879 | 8.8% | 21.2% | |||
| IT | 78,204 | 141,099 | 13.8% | 24.9% | |||
| Legal | 2,837 | 90,931 | 0.8% | 25.0% | |||
| Logistics & Warehouse | 26,694 | 36,168 | 6.9% | 9.3% | |||
| Maintenance | 3,967 | 10,064 | 4.8% | 12.1% | |||
| Manufacturing | 4,770 | 17,326 | 5.5% | 20.1% | |||
| PR | 5,306 | 22,808 | 6.7% | 28.8% | |||
| Property | 719 | 2,408 | 3.4% | 11.4% | |||
| Retail | 58,798 | 116,374 | 12.0% | 23.7% | |||
| Sales | 42,242 | 85,102 | 13.5% | 27.1% | |||
| Scientific & QA | 7,155 | 15,742 | 4.9% | 10.7% | |||
| Social work | 10,248 | 4,411 | 6.1% | 2.6% | |||
| Teaching | 36,579 | 33,082 | 10.3% | 9.3% | |||
| Trade & Construction | 4,820 | 15,868 | 3.2% | 10.4% | |||
| Travel | 3,945 | 69,407 | 2.5% | 44.7% |
Read more: The top sectors for signing bonuses