Agile HR Inc. and Intage Inc. jointly developed and conducted joint research with the University of Tokyo on the "A&I Engagement Standard Survey" national survey. Following the initial and second preliminary reports, this report presents the analysis results by industry. We will thoroughly analyze the structural factors of "Academia, Research, Professional & Technical Services," which has led for two consecutive years, and "Primary Industries," which has advanced to second place. We will also analyze "Medical, Health Care and Welfare," which dropped to ninth place due to the impact of the "2024 Physician Work Style Reform," "Construction and Transportation" struggling with the chronic "2024 Problem," and "Manufacturing," which has ranked last for three consecutive years!

1. Survey Overview and Overall Trends: Engagement Remains Stagnant

The fourth (2026 edition) national survey of the "A&I Engagement Standard Survey," jointly developed by Agile HR Inc. and Intage Inc. and conducted in joint research with the University of Tokyo, has been completed. This survey is the largest-scale fixed-point survey of engagement trends in Japan, targeting 10,576 working men and women nationwide aged 15 to 79.

The business environment in Japan from 2023 to 2026 was a period where "human capital management" emerged as a central issue determining corporate sustainability, against the backdrop of worsening labor shortages. Companies are being forced to transform their management practices beyond simply reducing working hours to drawing out employees' "vitality" and "enthusiasm" and linking them to results.

However, looking at the four-year trend of the overall employee engagement index (average of work engagement and organizational commitment), it shows a plateau (stagnation of improvement) in the high 2.5 range since 2024, with scores of 2.52 in 2023, 2.59 in 2024, 2.55 in 2025, and 2.58 in 2026.

[Figure 1: Four-Year Trend of Engagement Index and Three Job Resources (Work, Workplace, Company Level) (2023-2026)]

2. Cluster Analysis: 16 Industries Classified into 3 Groups

In the 2026 survey, four additional questions were introduced to analyze the internal organizational factors that influence engagement: "Psychological Safety (Ease of Speaking Up)," "Career Prospects," "Proactiveness in Human Capital Investment," and "Opportunities to Utilize AI Tools."

Correlation analysis with industry averages showed that "Psychological Safety" and "Career Prospects" had a strong positive correlation with engagement values.

[Figure 2: Mapping of Employee Engagement by 16 Industries and Career Prospects]

On the other hand, no clear correlation was observed for "Human Capital Investment" and "AI Utilization Opportunities." This is because the degree of human capital investment and AI utilization is strongly dependent on "industry structural characteristics." For example, the IT and financial industries have extremely high investments in systems and human capital, but even with substantial investment, it does not necessarily directly translate to attachment to the organization (organizational commitment).

Based on these five indicators, an analysis of 16 industries resulted in the classification of the Japanese industrial world into the following "3 clusters":

Cluster 1 (Autonomy/Management-Led Type):

The group with the highest psychological safety, career prospects, and engagement (e.g., Academia, Research, Education, Real Estate, Primary Industries, Other Services). They have a solid foundation in organizational culture and can expect further improvement through investment.

Cluster 2 (Investment-Driven, Insufficient Engagement Type):

High human capital and AI investment, but moderate psychological safety, career prospects, and engagement (e.g., Information Communications, Finance & Insurance, Public Service). Investment is leading, but the quality of organizational management has not caught up.

Cluster 3 (Under-Investment, Stagnant Engagement Type):

The group with the lowest scores across all indicators (e.g., Manufacturing, Transportation, Retail, Accommodation & Food Services, Construction, Electricity & Gas, Living-Related Services, Medical & Welfare). External changes and the resulting burden on the front lines are exhausting the frontline organizations.

[Figure 3: Mapping of Employee Engagement by 16 Industries and Proactiveness in Human Capital Investment (3 Clusters)]

3. Engagement Trends by 16 Industries and External Environmental Factors

Below, we describe the trends in employee engagement from 2023 to 2026 for 16 individual industries, the current situation in 2026, and the "external environmental factors" and "industry-specific structural challenges" behind them.

◆ Cluster 1: High Engagement Group Driven by Self-Discretion and Sense of Accomplishment

1 Academia, Research, Professional & Technical Services (2026 Score: 2.95 / 1st Place / 4-Year Change: +0.29)

Increased score by +0.29 points over four years, maintaining an overwhelming lead. The biggest resource is "job control = autonomy" (+0.53 compared to the overall average). On the other hand, colleague support is low at -0.23, posing a challenge of being a "group of professional solo workers."

2 Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries; Mining, Quarrying, and Sand and Gravel Extraction (Score: 2.80 / 2nd Place / Change: +0.17)

Significantly increased score over four years to advance to second place. High scores in "job control" (+0.29 compared to the overall average) and "work-life balance" (+0.24) indicate a strong performance. Amidst a severe labor shortage, the promotion of smart agriculture and efforts to make the industry more attractive (improving conditions) to secure young workers are bearing fruit.

3 Education, Learning Support Services (Score: 2.77 / 3rd Place / Change: +0.09)

Consistently maintained a top position for four years. "Work engagement" (3.05) is the highest among all industries, but "organizational commitment" (2.50) is average. Engagement tends to be directed towards the profession of "education" rather than the "organization."

4 Other Services (Temporary Staffing, Building Maintenance, Security, etc.) (Score: 2.70 / 4th Place / Change: +0.23)

Rapidly rose to fourth place over four years. This is a result of being forced to thoroughly implement "human capital investment" such as wage increases and welfare improvements ahead of other industries due to severe labor shortages, and is a successful example of human capital investment bearing fruit through corporate efforts.

5 Real Estate and Goods Rental and Leasing (Score: 2.68 / 5th Place / Change: +0.02)

Maintains high levels of "job control" (+0.29 compared to the overall average) and "intention to continue working" (+0.21). The direct and visible nature of results and direct feedback from customers provide a strong foundation for motivation.

◆ Cluster 2: Investment-Driven, Insufficient Engagement Group (Challenges in Management Quality)

6 Public Service (Score: 2.59 / 10th Place / Change: +0.14)

While workplace-level resources (e.g., supervisor support) are high, rigid bureaucratic organizational operations and a punitive performance evaluation system suppress "psychological safety (ease of speaking up)" and "career prospects" in the workplace.

7 Finance and Insurance (Score: 2.58 / 11th Place / Change: +0.09)

"Human capital and IT investment" such as company training programs and AI are at a high level, but the organizational culture, characterized by excessive compliance pressure and a punitive performance evaluation system, suppresses "psychological safety" in the workplace and erodes "vitality" (-0.14 compared to the overall average).

8 Information Communications (Score: 2.55 / 13th Place / Change: +0.17)

While the environment for human capital and AI investment is overwhelmingly the highest among all industries, "organizational commitment" (-0.03) is stagnating. The industry faces the distortion of a "career-driven" approach that prioritizes individual market value.

◆ Cluster 3: Group Exhausted by the Burden of Environmental Changes

9 Living-Related Services and Amusement Services (Score: 2.64 / 6th Place / Change: +0.11)

While gaining momentum with the rapid recovery of consumer demand, the low compensation that does not match weekend/holiday work and physically/emotionally demanding labor suppresses "organizational commitment" (-0.01).

10 Electricity, Gas, Heat Supply, and Water Supply (Score: 2.63 / 7th Place / Change: +0.08)

While "organizational commitment" (+0.14) is high due to the sense of responsibility for infrastructure, "trust in management" (-0.21) and "autonomy" (-0.20) are low. In a rapidly changing environment, a top-down system that restricts frontline autonomy creates a sense of exhaustion.

11 Accommodation and Food Services (Score: 2.62 / 8th Place / Change: +0.07)

Although experiencing a boom due to the recovery of inbound tourism, the tight operations on the ground are strained by labor shortages and high turnover rates. Due to a lack of funds and time, investment in human resource development and IT/AI is at the lowest level among all industries and remains untouched.

12 Medical, Health Care and Welfare (Score: 2.62 / 9th Place / Change: -0.06)

Dropped in rank from its top position in 2024. The "task shift" implemented without sufficient staffing and DX investment, influenced by the "2024 Physician Work Style Reform (overtime regulations)" starting in 2024, has led to an increased workload for nurses and other staff. This may be leading to burnout on the front lines.

13 Construction (Score: 2.56 / 12th Place / Change: +0.03)

In response to the "2024 Overtime Hour Regulations (960 hours per year)," labor shortages and tight construction schedules remain unresolved. As a result, actual income reduction for site workers (due to less overtime pay) and work intensification are occurring, leading to increased dissatisfaction.

14 Wholesale and Retail Trade (Score: 2.51 / 14th Place / Change: +0.01)

Career prospects are not envisioned due to structural low wages and a high proportion of non-regular employees. Despite increased busyness in stores, "job satisfaction/sense of accomplishment (enthusiasm: -0.15)" is at a critically low level.

15 Transportation and Postal Services (Score: 2.44 / 15th Place / Change: +0.03)

Directly hit by the so-called "2024 Problem" (overtime labor regulations), "overtime restrictions" for drivers have led to a reduction in take-home pay (financial hardship), and turnover is becoming severe. Physical hardships that cannot be resolved by individual effort, such as waiting times for loading and increased redeliveries, are pressuring "employee engagement" (-0.14).

16 Manufacturing (Score: 2.41 / 16th Place / Change: +0.03)

Last place for three consecutive years. Challenges include "poor vision transmission" between headquarters and factory floors, and dissatisfaction with facility environments. Regarding DX promotion, the "on-site barrier" where older, experienced workers resist inputting data into IT equipment or adopting new systems stands in the way, directly leading to delays in productivity improvement.

[Figure 4: Four-Year Trend of Employee Engagement by 16 Industries (2023-2026)]

Download the detailed report of this national survey here:

https://a-i-engagement.com/inquire/?Inquire01#Inquire01

Information on related seminars regarding this survey can be viewed here:

View the first preliminary report here:

https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000057.000040235.html

View the second preliminary report here:

https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000058.000040235.html

[About the 4th National Employee Engagement Survey]

Survey Period: March 16 (Wed) - March 23 (Mon), 2026

Survey Method: Internet Survey

Target Audience: 10,576 men and women nationwide aged 15-79 (Intage Myte Monitor Registrants)

[Authors of this Report]

Keiji Matsuoka, President and Representative Director, Agile HR Inc.

Graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Tokyo, then joined Accenture. Participated in the launch of the Human Performance service line, which supports organizational transformation. After serving as a managing partner, he founded M.I. Associates Inc. in 2005 to support corporate human resource and organizational transformation, serving as its Representative Director. Founded Agile HR Inc. in 2018 and became its Representative Director. (M.I. Associates Inc. was merged into Agile HR in 2022). His book "1on1 Management" (2018) is used as a textbook for people management in many companies. "Performance Appraisal is No Longer Necessary" (2016) became a bestseller, widely read not only by HR professionals but also by general readers. In 2023, he published "Companies That Enhance Engagement ~Performance Management in Human Capital Management~."

______________________________________________

Agile HR Inc.

Agile HR Inc. is a company that supports the realization of new-era performance management and career management. Centered around the cloud service "WAKUAS," which supports OKR and 1on1, the company provides training services related to OKR, 1on1, and career development, implementation support for 360-degree feedback and engagement surveys, and consulting services for HR system reform.

A&I Engagement Standard Survey

This is the latest engagement survey jointly developed by Agile HR Inc., an HR consulting firm, and Intage Inc., a data technology company, in joint research with the "Digital Mental Health Course" collaborative research program at the Graduate School of Medicine, the University of Tokyo. It scientifically measures employee engagement using statistically and academically validated data, and also measures the factors that influence engagement. The service also provides support for developing and executing action plans after the survey, tailored to the individual company's challenges.

▼Click here for details on the A&I Engagement Standard Survey↓

https://a-i-engagement.com/

▼Click here for material requests↓

https://a-i-engagement.com/inquire/?Inquire01#Inquire01

Contact Information

Agile HR Inc.

5-4-6-503 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062

Phone: 03-6452-6115

URL : https://agilehr.co.jp/

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  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: Survey結果