Yorkshire workers are the most miserable in Britain

The survey asked 1,000 UK workers to define how satisfied they are with their salary, as well as their expectations for a pay rise this year.

Workers in Yorkshire are the most dissatisfied with their pay, with 44 per cent saying they are unsatisfied including 28 per cent confessing to being very unsatisfied. Average advertised salaries in Yorkshire currently sit at £29,443, the second lowest of any region and significantly below average pay across the UK of £33,424.

Yorkshire workers were among the most pessimistic on pay, with only 59 per cent of employees expecting a pay rise in 2019, second only to the North East (51 per cent). The region has seen a 2.4 per cent annual rise in average salaries, but has lagged behind nationwide increases of 3.9 per cent as pay rates have stagnated in the North in recent months.

Retail workers are more miserable than any other sector. 40 per cent of retail workers are unsatisfied, or very unsatisfied with their salary, making them the unhappiest workers in the UK.

Adzuna said this is unsurprising considering the current average salary for retail workers is £25,243, 1.6 per cent lower than a year ago, and significantly under the average UK wage of £33,424.

The outlook for the sector is also looking gloomy, with over 1,100 shops closing down on the high streets in the first half of 2018. Several high profile failures have rocked the sector, including House of Fraser collapsing into administration, profit warnings at Debenhams and Toys R Us closing.

Following closely behind the retail industry, charity & not-for-profit workers are also struggling, with 40 per cent despondent on pay, including 20 per cent who are very unsatisfied.

Engineers are the happiest sector workers, with 58 per cent either satisfied or very satisfied with their pay packets.

Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, said: “It’s unsurprising, and yet disheartening, to see that retail is the unhappiest sector in the UK, as consumers swap ‘bricks for clicks’.

However, generally it’s clear that a salary malaise is spreading across the country. Political uncertainty and a stuttering economy meant salaries stalled at the end of last year, despite vacancy levels remaining high and skilled workers hard to come by.

"As a result, the majority of workers feel like they deserve a pay rise this January."