A Gallup report reveals that 90% of UK employees are quietly quitting while searching for other job opportunities.

The U.K. has a serious problem.

According to Gallup's new report, only 10% of U.K. workers are engaged with their jobs, which is lower than the U.S. and several European countries.

Over 90% of employees are experiencing a sense of detachment from their jobs and are likely to join the "quiet quitting" movement.

In the U.K., 40% of employees experience daily stress, 27% feel daily sadness, and 20% report daily anger, making it the second most stressed country in Europe.

In comparison, 23% of employees worldwide and 33% of U.S. workers reported being engaged at work.

In 2023, Gallup's report was based on data collected from 128,278 working adults in over 160 countries through annual surveys conducted either face-to-face or via phone.

Workers who are actively disengaged may find themselves stuck in jobs they dislike due to financial constraints, according to the report.

"Job opportunities are likely to contribute to active disengagement, as we infer that they enable employees to escape unfavorable situations and seek better ones."

Almost one-third of U.K. employees said they were actively looking for another job, while less than half said it's now a good time to find a job.

Since the post-pandemic peak in 2022, the number of job vacancies in the U.K. has been declining, causing workers to lose confidence in the job market, according to data from the U.K. Office for National Statistics analyzed by McKinsey.

In January 2024, job vacancies decreased by 31% compared to two years prior, causing workers to feel more inclined to remain in their current positions due to the limited job opportunities available.

Sharp contrast

According to a McKinsey report, out of the 26% of respondents in a U.K. longitudinal study who said they wanted to switch jobs, only a quarter actually changed employers three years later. Meanwhile, 19% of those who said they wanted to leave remained in their current job.

According to McKinsey data and the Understanding Society study, between 20% and 40% of organizations' workforces are composed of quiet quitters.

The economic impact of low engagement, as estimated by Gallup, is substantial, with the global economy losing $8.9 trillion, or 9% of GDP, due to quiet quitting and disengagement.

The report cites a Gallup 2024 meta-analysis of 183,000 business units in 53 industries and 90 countries, which found that companies with high levels of employee engagement tend to have better outcomes.

A 68% increase in employee wellbeing, a 23% increase in profitability, and a 13% increase in productivity were found in the study.

The report states that being actively disengaged at work is equivalent to or worse than being unemployed in terms of many well-being items, including stress, anger, worry, and loneliness.

"When employees find their work and work relationships meaningful, they experience high levels of daily enjoyment and low levels of negative daily emotions."