Employee engagement worldwide dropped to 21 per cent in 2024, with managers experiencing the sharpest decline, according to Gallup’s latest workplace report released Wednesday.
The United States and Canada region, traditionally leading global engagement metrics, is now tied with Latin America at 31 per cent — marking the first time another region has matched North America’s engagement levels in Gallup’s 12-year tracking history.
“Manager engagement affects team engagement, which affects productivity. Business performance — and ultimately GDP growth — is at risk if executive leaders do not address manager breakdown,” said Jim Harter, Gallup’s chief workplace scientist.
Manager engagement crisis
While engagement among individual contributors remained stable at 18 per cent, manager engagement fell from 30 to 27 per cent globally. Young managers under 35 saw a five-percentage-point decline, while female managers experienced an even steeper seven-point drop.
Gallup’s analysis indicates companies that provide management training can cut extreme disengagement in half. When employers combine training with active development encouragement, manager thriving increases dramatically from 28 to 50 per cent.
North American trends
U.S. employee engagement sits at 32 per cent — its lowest point in nearly a decade — while Canadian engagement remains steady at 21 per cent. Although the U.S. has consistently outpaced Canada in engagement metrics, the current 11-point gap is the smallest Gallup has measured since beginning its three-year rolling averages in 2010-2012.
Employee wellbeing concerns
Employee wellbeing indicators show troubling trends across North America. A record-low 52 per cent of employees in the U.S. and Canada region report they are thriving, though this remains significantly higher than the global average of 33 per cent.
Worldwide employee thriving has fallen to its lowest point since 2021, with more than one in five workers reporting experiencing loneliness. While stress levels have decreased slightly from pandemic peaks, they remain elevated compared to pre-pandemic measurements.
Job market outlook
Despite these challenges, 57 per cent of workers in the U.S. and Canada believe it’s a good time to find a job locally — slightly higher than the global average of 51 per cent, which has fallen to its lowest point since 2021.
