Satisfaction at work: German employees are so committed!
Find out what the job satisfaction and engagement of Germans will be like in 2024 and which factors will be decisive.
Satisfaction at work: German employees are so committed!
The satisfaction and commitment of employees in Germany are a central topic in current labor market research. According to an analysis by the Institute of German Economy The results of the Gallup study show that 78 percent of employees in Germany only do their job according to the rules. Alarmingly, 13 percent of employees have internally quit, indicating deeper dissatisfaction.
However, job satisfaction ratings have remained stable since the 1990s, with a constant mean of about 7 points on a scale of 0 to 10. Almost half of respondents in a 2022 survey said they were very or completely satisfied with their job, giving it a score of 8 to 10. Only a little more than 3 percent of employees are completely dissatisfied with their job.
Commitment at a high level
In addition, the IW employee survey from 2024 shows a high level of active engagement. The average engagement index of respondents is 16 points on a scale of 0 to 24. Of the 5,060 respondents, around 2,000 achieved more than 16 points, and 30 employees achieved the maximum value of 24 points. It is noteworthy that almost 90 percent of participants believe that they do a good job, while almost 57 percent say they are (almost) always enthusiastic about their job.
In addition, a good 53 percent of employees generally feel full of energy at work. This above-average level of commitment means that these employees rate the likelihood of changing jobs in the next two years as low. Despite a fluctuation coefficient of around 30 in Germany, which means that every third job changes every year, the fluctuation is particularly lower in public administration at just under 14 and in many processing industries, such as the metal and electrical sectors, at 16.
Challenges and opportunities
The average length of service in Germany will be around 11 years in 2022, which has only been reduced by 0.4 years since 2012. For those over 50, the average length of service is 17 years. However, this stability could be affected by the ongoing economic crisis, which may negatively affect job satisfaction.
The Gallup study, which has been carried out annually since 2001, examines not only employee satisfaction, but also the emotional connection, commitment and motivation of employees. The engagement index is based on twelve questions about the workplace and environment, which were collected as part of a representative survey of 1,700 randomly selected employees aged 18 and over between November 18 and December 20, 2024.
The results illustrate the need to actively involve employees in necessary changes in companies. Company performance management systems that reward good work and motivation also play a crucial role in increasing employee engagement and should receive greater focus in the future.