I am unsure if the headline portrays the content correctly. The content is whether people "their work gave them “a feeling of making a positive impact on community and society”.
There might be people who feel their jobs do not have social impact but important nonetheless on a personal level. In that case, they don't exactly feel their jobs are pointless.
And jobs like the ones in finance have been specifically targeted for adding nothing to society. Or sales being scummy. So, people might feel the overall impact of such labeling and feel that they have net zero impact on society.
There might be people who feel their jobs do not have social impact but important nonetheless on a personal level. In that case, they don't exactly feel their jobs are pointless.
And jobs like the ones in finance have been specifically targeted for adding nothing to society. Or sales being scummy. So, people might feel the overall impact of such labeling and feel that they have net zero impact on society.