Gen Z, elder millennials experiencing ‘dramatic decline’ in engagement at work, Gallup says

Since the pandemic began four years ago this month, engagement has dropped off dramatically among young and middle-aged workers. The report, which Gallup published on February 29, measured employee engagement through 12 factors, most of which assess feelings of satisfaction, recognition, being cared for and supported. 

Of the group, millennials and Gen Zers reported the greatest declines in “feeling cared about by someone at work, having opportunities to learn and grow, feeling connected to the mission of the organization, having progress discussions with managers, being given opportunities to develop, and feeling that their opinions count.”

The share of older millennials actively engaged in their work fell from 39% to 32% in that time; Gen Z’s rate dropped from 40% to 35%, and Gen X’s dropped from 35% to 31%. 

As Gallup’s chief scientist of workplace management and wellbeing Jim Harter wrote in the report, that means Gen X employees’ engagement ratio dropped from 2.1 to 1.7. In other words, “for every actively disengaged employee, there are now less than two engaged ones.” Among older millennials, that engagement ratio has dropped from 3.3 to 1.9, meaning there’s slightly more than two engaged employees for every actively disengaged employee from that age group. 

Those depressed figures come at a cost: It’s significantly more expensive to replace talent than it is to nurture the talent you do have, and a disengaged employee is much likelier to keep an eye on the job boards. 

Today’s young workers, more so than older generations, invest in their growth and look for jobs that serve an important purpose, Harter told Fortune in an email. Since 2020, they’ve felt less cared about and have found fewer…