Japanese Workers Among the Least Motivated in the World

A recent global survey conducted by Gallup on employee engagement, including job motivation and willingness to contribute to an organization, found that the percentage of employees in Japan who are motivated by and actively engaged in their work was just 6% in 2023, which was among the lowest levels in the world. The result for Japan stands out in contrast to the average of 23% worldwide and 18% in East Asia. Mongolia was the East Asian country with the highest proportion of motivated and engaged employees, at 41%.

Among Japanese workers, 24% are thoroughly disengaged, which is four times greater than the percentage of motivated workers. Gallup notes that despite reforms to the style of work in Japan the percentage of unmotivated workers has remained high for the past decade or more and that the scarcity of employees who are enthusiastic about their work may be having a negative effect on companies and the economy. Analysis shows that, in 2023, Japanese companies incurred over ¥86 trillion in losses due to opportunity costs (lost earners) resulting from the low level of employee engagement.

The results of the Gallup survey also showed that Japanese workers have a high level of dissatisfaction with their workplace environment, with 41% saying they are under a great deal of stress. Among those surveyed, 40% said that now was a good time for changing jobs, while 33% were looking for or gathering information about a new job.

According to Kamimura Chihiro, a learning and development consultant at Gallup, “there is much work to be done to improve the lives of most of the workers in Japan.”

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)