'Leaders must care' | US employee engagement plummets to 11-year low. But the answer for HR couldn't be clearer

4.8 million fewer employees were highly engaged in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the end of 2023, continuing a downward spiral of employee engagement in the US.

The latest figures from Gallup’s Employee Engagement report reveal engagement has dropped to its lowest level in more than a decade, since January 2023.

The percentage of actively disengaged employees also grew from an average of 16% across 2023 to 17% in January 2024.

It’s disappointing news for HR professionals after employee engagement levels began to pick up in 2023 following a downward trajectory from 2020 to 2022. Employee engagement, per Gallup’s research, reached a record high of 36% in 2020.