Global Employee Engagement Drops for Only the Second Time
According to Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace report, global employee engagement has declined for only the second time in 12 years, dropping from 23% in 2023 to 21% in 2024.
For the fifth consecutive year, Europe remains the region with the lowest employee engagement, recording just 13%.
Manager Engagement Plays a Key Role
The decline in global engagement is largely attributed to a drop in managers' engagement. While individual contributors maintained an 18% engagement rate, manager engagement dropped from 30% to 27% — the largest dip of any job category.
- Managers under 35 saw a five-point decline.
- Female managers experienced a seven-point drop.
Gallup’s Chief Workplace Scientist, Jim Harter, warns that without action from executive leaders, the fallout could threaten productivity, business performance, and even GDP growth.
To counteract this trend, Gallup recommends the following strategies:
- Train all managers: Manager training can reduce active disengagement by half.
- Teach coaching techniques: Management training programs can boost engagement by up to 22%, benefiting teams with increases of up to 18%.
- Promote ongoing development: Combining training with workplace encouragement can increase thriving manager rates from 28% to 50%.
Engagement Trends Across Europe
Unlike other regions that have improved since 2011, Europe’s engagement has declined from 15% in 2011 to 13% in 2024.
Lowest Engagement Levels:
- Croatia: 7%
- Switzerland, France, Poland, Luxembourg: 8%
- Spain, Ireland, Austria: 9%
Croatia and North Macedonia experienced the largest recent declines, each dropping five percentage points. Germany’s engagement dropped to a new low of 12%.
Spain’s engagement is now half of what it was in 2010–2012 (18% down to 9%). The UK has also seen a notable drop from 17% to 10% over the same period.
Highest Engagement in Europe:
- Romania: 35%, consistently high over the past decade.
- Albania: 29%, a new national high.
- Sweden, Netherlands, Greece: All record highs in engagement.
Italy, though improved over the past decade, still ranks low with only 10% engagement. Denmark’s 21% engagement is among its highest measured over the past 10 years.
Optimism in the Job Market
Despite low engagement, 57% of European employees believe it’s a “good time” to find a job — a record high. Globally, this optimism stands at 51%, the lowest since 2021.
Employee Wellbeing Insights
Only 47% of European workers report thriving in life, a figure steady with previous years but still higher than the global average of 33%.
In terms of emotional health:
- Anger: Reported by 14% of European employees, slightly below recent trends.
- Stress, sadness, and loneliness: Continue to impact workers globally at elevated levels compared to pre-pandemic years.
As the nature of work evolves, understanding these engagement and wellbeing trends is essential for employers seeking to build a thriving workforce.
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