Breaking News! 2026 4th National 10,000 Employee Engagement Survey Results Flash Report ~ Warning against 'Isolation of those in their 30s' and 'Sharp Decline in Vitality in the Infrastructure Industry'. Distortions in Japanese Organizations Revealed by 10,000-Person Survey ~

Agile HR Co., Ltd. and Intage Inc., in collaboration with the University of Tokyo, conducted a nationwide survey for the 'A&I Engagement Standard Survey,' which they jointly developed. This year marks the fourth iteration, following surveys in 2023, 2024, and 2025. This report details the reality of employee engagement in Japan as revealed by these results.

1. Purpose of the Survey The 2026 national survey was conducted with the following two objectives: ① To analyze the factors contributing to Japan's globally recognized low employee engagement, similar to the past three years. ② To analyze changes in employee engagement over the past four years. Detailed survey results can be downloaded here: https://a-i-engagement.com/inquire/?Inquire01#Inquire01

2. Reasons for Low Employee Engagement in Japan ■ Low attachment and affection towards the company Employee engagement refers to an individual's psychological state encompassing two concepts: ・Work engagement: A positive psychological state experienced through work. ・Organizational commitment: Attachment and affection towards the company or organization one belongs to. This survey uses a 4-point scale (4: Agree, 3: Somewhat agree, 2: Somewhat disagree, 1: Disagree), so the midpoint score between affirmative and negative responses is 2.5. The average values in this national survey were as follows (employee engagement value is the average of work engagement and organizational commitment): Employee Engagement: 2.58 Work Engagement: 2.67 Organizational Commitment: 2.49 The work engagement value is 0.17 points above the midpoint score (2.5), but the organizational commitment value is 0.01 points below the midpoint score, indicating that low organizational commitment is a factor dragging down employee engagement.

Lack of vitality from work Work engagement consists of three elements: vitality, dedication, and absorption. Their respective scores were as follows: Work Engagement: 2.67 Vitality: 2.54 Dedication: 2.79 Absorption: 2.69 Among the components of work engagement, vitality has the lowest value. Vitality represents the level of energy and psychological resilience during work.

Significant problems in workplace management The 'A&I Engagement Standard Survey' measures not only employee engagement and its components but also the overall causal relationship, including factors influencing employee engagement ('job resources' and 'shared values/vision') and the outcomes influenced by employee engagement. The overall picture of this year's survey results is as follows: 【Figure 1: Overall Trends】 The scores for factors influencing employee engagement are as follows: Job Resources: 2.63 Job Level: 2.89 Workplace Level: 2.60 Company Level: 2.39 Shared Values/Vision: 2.55 Job resources refer to sources of energy for employee engagement. Job level indicates how much the work itself provides energy, and workplace level indicates how much the workplace atmosphere and relationships provide energy. Company level originates from company systems and measures (e.g., evaluation systems), but it heavily depends on their implementation in the workplace. Therefore, many causes of low company-level scores are attributed to workplace management (supervisors' management).

Insufficient feedback and learning opportunities Figure 2 shows the national average values for the 16 sub-items of job resources, arranged in descending order of scores. 【Figure 2: Job Resources Sub-category Scores (Descending Order)】 The top two resources with the highest scores are as follows: ・Role clarity: Clarity of one's duties and responsibilities. ・Meaningfulness of work: Feeling that one's work has meaning. Average Japanese people feel that their roles are clear and their work is meaningful. Conversely, the two resources with the lowest scores are as follows: ・Fair performance evaluation: Sufficient explanation regarding the results of the personnel system. ・Career development: Existence of educational opportunities that contribute to motivation and career development. These indicate a lack of feedback and learning opportunities in the workplace. Both are indispensable elements for individual motivation and growth, and this lack of resources is considered to suppress engagement.