Global Workforce Navigates Stress, Seeks Growth and Fairness Amidst Rising Engagement and AI Uncertainty: ADP Report
ADP Research categorizes workers based on their experience with positive stress (eustress) and negative stress (distress). Thriving workers experience pressure as eustress and are more engaged, productive, and less likely to quit. Overloaded workers experience job pressure negatively and score lower in well-being. Rattled workers fall in the middle, coping but not necessarily thriving.
NEW YORK, NY – A new report from ADP Research, “People at Work: A Global Workforce View 2025,” offers a deep dive into the evolving sentiments of nearly 38,000 workers across 34 markets, revealing a complex landscape marked by rising engagement, persistent financial insecurity, and apprehension mixed with anticipation regarding artificial intelligence. The annual study, now in its tenth year and significantly expanded in 2024, provides business leaders with actionable insights into the critical issues shaping the future of work.
Worker Engagement Reaches Record High, but Location and Teams Matter
One of the most encouraging findings is that global worker engagement reached a record high in 2024, with nearly 1 in 5 workers worldwide reporting being fully engaged on the job. This marks the third consecutive year of growth in engagement and is 5 percentage points higher than the pandemic low in 2020. ADP Research defines engagement as the emotional state causing people to do their best work sustainably, highlighting its strong connection to productivity and loyalty.
Despite this positive trend, regional differences are significant. The Middle East / Africa region saw the largest gain in engagement, rising 3 percentage points to 25 percent, led by a 4-point increase in Egypt. In contrast, North America fared poorly, with worker engagement falling 2 percentage points year over year, primarily driven by a 3-point drop in Canada. Europe also saw declines in some markets, including Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands.
The report also highlights the complex relationship between work location and engagement. While the share of on-site workers has been increasing, growing 2 percentage points globally and 8 points in North America in 2024, hybrid workers are still the most likely to report being fully engaged. The key factor appears to be flexibility and choice; workers who have complete flexibility in choosing their work location are much more likely to be fully engaged, regardless of whether they actually work on site or elsewhere. Employers are encouraged to consider this powerful link when deciding on work location policies.
Furthermore, team quality significantly impacts engagement. Members of high-performing teams are vastly more likely to be fully engaged (55 percent) compared to those on average teams (10 percent). However, fewer than 1 in 5 respondents felt they worked on the best team they’d ever been a part of, indicating significant room for employer improvement. Interestingly, on-site workers were the only group to report an improvement in team quality year-over-year, potentially contributing to their rising engagement.
Stress Levels Decline, But Thriving Workers Remain Too Few
Chronic worker stress saw a significant drop in 2024, with the share of people reporting daily negative stress falling sharply from 15 percent in 2023 to 7.5 percent. This continues a post-pandemic trend coinciding with a global decline in unemployment. However, this reduction in daily stress has not translated into a boost in the share of workers who are thriving.
ADP Research categorizes workers based on their experience with positive stress (eustress) and negative stress (distress). Thriving workers experience pressure as eustress and are more engaged, productive, and less likely to quit. Overloaded workers experience job pressure negatively and score lower in well-being. Rattled workers fall in the middle, coping but not necessarily thriving.
Between 2023 and 2024, as the share of overloaded workers decreased, the share of thriving workers also declined, resulting in more people falling into the ‘rattled’ category. This suggests that while bad stress is down, too few people are finding joy on the job.
Regional findings show Latin America with the largest share of thrivers (34 percent) and the smallest share of overloaded workers (10 percent). North America had the smallest share of thriving workers (23 percent). Europe recorded the largest share of overloaded workers (19 percent). China saw the biggest decline in thriving workers (down 13 points to 40 percent) but still has a large share compared to some regional neighbors. Singapore had the biggest increase in thriving workers, up 11 percentage points to 26 percent.
Several factors appear linked to lower thriving and higher negative stress. Workers who feel judged for taking advantage of flexible working arrangements are 3.4 times less likely to be thriving. Similarly, workers who feel their manager is monitoring everything they do are 3.3 times less likely to be thriving. These sentiments can lead to greater negative stress and reduced productivity. The Middle East / Africa region had the largest share of workers feeling both judged and monitored. India stands out globally, with roughly two-thirds of workers feeling both judged and monitored. Japan reported the smallest share of workers feeling judged or monitored.
The report also found that in all 34 markets surveyed, workers who identified as a racial or ethnic minority were less likely to be thriving and more likely to experience negative stress. This difference was particularly stark in Europe. These minority workers were also more likely to feel judged for using flexible arrangements and feel monitored by their managers.
Financial Strain Persists: Multiple Jobs and Pay Fairness Gaps
Despite global employment reaching a record high in 2024, many workers continue to face financial challenges due to low income and high living costs. More than half of workers worldwide (57 percent) reported living pay cheque to pay cheque in 2024. To cope, 23 percent of respondents hold two or more jobs, a share that rises to 34 percent in the Middle East / Africa region.
Crucially, the report highlights that taking on extra work doesn’t necessarily alleviate financial stress. Among workers with two jobs, 59 percent still reported living pay cheque to pay cheque, and this figure rose to 61 percent for those with three or more jobs. While covering necessary expenses is the top reason for working multiple jobs (cited by 51 percent of those with two jobs and 50 percent with three or more), many also take on extra work for savings, education, or discretionary spending. The report notes that in regions with large informal economies (Africa, Latin America, parts of Asia), cobbling together work is common but often lacks stability and protections.
Regarding pay fairness, fewer workers felt their pay was unfair in 2024 (27 percent) compared to 2023 (31 percent). However, significant sentiment gaps persist. Gender is a key differentiator: 28 percent of women worldwide felt their pay was unfair in 2024, compared to 23 percent of men. This gender gap was present in most markets surveyed.
Sentiment also varied by managerial level and worker type. Employees at higher levels (C-suite: 13%, Upper management: 15%) were less likely to feel their pay was unfair than individual contributors (34%). The more complex the job, the smaller the share of workers feeling unfairly paid, with only 17 percent of knowledge workers reporting unfair pay compared to 39 percent of cycle workers. Geographically, dissatisfaction with pay was highest in South Korea (45 percent) and lowest in India (11 percent). The report emphasizes that workers who feel unfairly paid are less engaged, less resilient, less trusting of leadership, and more likely to quit.
Career Advancement Barriers Often Lead Workers ‘Out’
Many ambitious workers are hindered by a lack of opportunity within their current organizations, often leading them to seek advancement elsewhere. The largest share of respondents globally (19 percent) cited a lack of opportunity as their biggest barrier to career advancement. Furthermore, 15 percent strongly believed they would need to change employers to get ahead.
This lack of opportunity was particularly pronounced in Latin America, where 25 percent cited it as their biggest barrier. Notably, North America was the only region where a lack of opportunity was not the most-cited barrier; there, a lack of desire (19 percent) ranked higher than lack of opportunity (17 percent).
Surprisingly, only 6 percent of respondents cited a lack of skill as their biggest barrier, despite only 24 percent feeling confident they have the skills needed to advance and even fewer (17 percent) believing their employers are investing in their skills development. The report suggests that the perceived lack of opportunity might make skills readiness irrelevant to workers.
The opportunity for career advancement is a significant factor in employee retention. It was the second most important reason workers cited for staying with their employer, after flexibility in scheduling. The report found a clear business risk: 34 percent of workers who saw no opportunity to advance within their current company were actively looking for a new job, compared to only 6 percent of those who were confident they could advance. The report suggests that employers should better highlight career development offerings and opportunities to improve worker sentiment.
The Insidious Toll of Discrimination and Monitoring
Workplace discrimination remains a significant issue, affecting around 19 percent of workers worldwide in 2024, a figure that has remained stable for the past three years. However, the prevalence varies widely by region, with the Middle East / Africa region reporting the highest share (33 percent) and Latin America the lowest (10 percent). Several markets, including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, reported nearly half of workers experiencing discrimination.
The report links experiencing discrimination to tangible costs for employers. Workers who feel discriminated against are less likely to feel productive and much more likely to be actively looking for new employment. They are significantly more likely to fall into the low-productivity category. In North America, workers experiencing discrimination were 3.5 times less likely to report high productivity. Furthermore, workers experiencing discrimination were far more likely to be actively seeking a new job (34 percent) compared to those who weren’t (14 percent).
Certain demographic groups are more likely to report discrimination. People identifying as a racial or ethnic minority in their market were significantly more likely to report discrimination (36 percent) than non-minorities (14 percent). Men were slightly more likely than women (20 percent vs. 17 percent). Younger workers and those in higher managerial levels were also more likely to report experiencing discrimination.
Relatedly, the report examined worker sentiment on workplace monitoring. Nearly a third of workers globally felt they were constantly being watched by their employer in 2024. Surprisingly, there was only a narrow difference in this feeling between on-site workers (34 percent) and remote workers (35 percent).
The feeling of being watched is linked to negative outcomes. Workers who felt watched were nearly three times less likely to report high productivity and almost four times more likely to report the lowest level of productivity. They also reported higher levels of stress, being more than three times more likely to experience daily negative stress. This increased stress, in turn, is associated with higher turnover intentions. The report suggests that employer efforts to track productivity through monitoring might be backfiring.
Similar to discrimination, racial and ethnic minorities were much more likely to feel watched (44 percent) than non-minorities (30 percent). The largest disparity was in Europe, with a 20-point difference between minorities and non-minorities. Younger workers and those in managerial roles were also more likely to feel watched. The report emphasizes that even if monitoring isn’t actually occurring, the feeling of being watched strongly correlates with negative outcomes. Open and frequent communication about expectations is suggested as a way to put worried workers at ease and boost productivity.
Artificial Intelligence: Anticipation Mixed with Fear and Uncertainty
The report explored worker perceptions of artificial intelligence (AI), finding no clear consensus on its impact. While a plurality of respondents (33 percent strongly/agree) believed AI would positively impact their job responsibilities, feelings were mixed, with 21 percent disagreeing/strongly disagreeing and 29 percent holding no strong opinion.
A contradictory sentiment emerged: markets with the largest share of workers anticipating a positive impact from AI (Egypt, India) also had the largest share fearing job replacement. Globally, only 1 in 10 workers were scared their job would be replaced by AI. However, among those who did believe AI would have a positive effect, 27 percent also feared being replaced. The report suggests anxiety about the unknown contributes to this contradiction; many workers, especially in certain sectors, have no idea how AI will change their jobs.
Sentiment varied by sector and worker type. Workers in tech services, finance, and information were most likely to have a positive outlook on AI, aligning with these sectors’ early adoption of technology. Conversely, sectors heavy on human interaction, like personal services, transportation, and healthcare, showed more apprehension. Knowledge workers were most likely to believe AI would have a positive impact (24 percent strongly agree) but also most worried about being replaced (13 percent strongly agree). They were also most likely to say they have no idea how AI will change their job (14 percent strongly agree). Younger workers were more likely to show both optimism and concern about AI compared to older workers.
The report links fear and uncertainty about AI to negative outcomes. Workers scared about being replaced by AI were twice as likely to experience high stress and more likely to be looking for new employment. Similarly, workers who were unsure how AI would affect their jobs were nearly twice as likely to be highly stressed. Employers are advised to address employee concerns and foster a clear understanding of AI’s benefits through communication to minimize fear and maximize AI’s potential as a collaborative tool.
The “People at Work 2025” report underscores that understanding worker sentiment on these critical issues is essential for organizations navigating the dynamic global workplace. For further insights into the evolving workplace paradigm, visit
