New Global Research Finds Leaders Overestimate Engagement, Underestimate What Makes People Stay -- Putting Retention, Productivity, and Culture at Risk

Rhea-AI Summary

ManpowerGroup's (NYSE: MAN) Right Management division has released new global research revealing significant disconnects between leadership perceptions and employee reality regarding workplace engagement. The study, surveying 1,029 leaders and 2,402 employees across multiple regions, found that while 53% of leaders believe their employees are fully engaged, only 37% of employees report full engagement.

The research highlights critical regional variations, with Latin America showing the largest perception gap and Europe and Asia-Pacific reporting the lowest engagement levels at 32% and 33% respectively. The study also reveals that traditional attraction factors like pay and perks don't drive long-term retention, which instead depends on purpose, growth, and cultural alignment.

Positive

• Comprehensive global research scope covering multiple regions and large sample size
• Clear identification of engagement gaps provides opportunity for strategic improvements
• Research highlights actionable insights for improving retention strategies

Negative

• Significant leadership-employee engagement perception gap (53% vs 37%)
• Critical low engagement levels in Europe (32%) and Asia-Pacific (33%)
• Only 24% of leaders recognize cultural fit importance, showing major strategic blindspot

News Market Reaction

+0.37%

1 alert

+0.37% News Effect

On the day this news was published, MAN gained 0.37%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.

MILWAUKEE, Sept. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Right Management, a global leader in talent and career management solutions and part of the ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN) family of brands, has released an all-new installment in its 2025 The State of Careers series. Building on its groundbreaking 2024 North American research, the new global report — "The Career Equation: What Attracts Talent Isn't What Keeps Them" — uncovers powerful insights and data-driven strategies for organizations navigating today's complex talent landscape.

Based on proprietary research and surveys of 1,029 leaders and 2,402 employees across North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, the report exposes a striking disconnect between perception and reality — and a surprising contradiction in what drives talent decisions:

• The Engagement Illusion: Leaders believe their teams are thriving. The data tells a different story.
• The Talent Paradox: What attracts talent — like pay, perks, and prestige — isn't what makes them stay.

Key Findings Include:

• Leaders grossly overestimate engagement: More than half (53%) of leaders globally believe their employees are fully engaged, with only 29% acknowledging any disengagement. By contrast, just 37% of employees report full engagement — and 41% are actively disengaged.
• Latin America shows the sharpest disconnect: 63% of leaders believe their teams are fully engaged while only 41% of employees are fully engaged — a profound disconnect that threatens retention and loyalty.
• Europe and Asia-Pacific report critically low engagement: Only 32% of European employees and 33% in Asia-Pacific are fully engaged.
• Leaders and employees are misaligned on what drives engagement: Employees consistently rank fit and career as top engagement drivers. Yet only 24% of leaders recognize cultural fit as important, and less than two out of 10 (19%) cite career development — revealing a significant chasm.
• Attraction ≠ Retention: While pay and perks may attract talent, they don't sustain engagement. Long-term retention is driven by deeper, intrinsic factors like purpose, growth, and cultural alignment.

"This research is a wake-up call for business leaders," said Caroline Pfeiffer Marinho, Global Business Leader at Talent Solutions Right Management. "Too many organizations are investing in attraction strategies while overlooking what truly drives people to stay. If leaders don't prioritize cultural fit, career development and purpose, they risk losing their top talent — and with it, their competitive edge."

Barbera de Graaf, Senior Vice President of Right Management for Europe, added: "Europe is facing a human capital crisis. With the lowest engagement levels globally, the message is clear: leaders must act now. Investing in people's skills, careers and well-being isn't just good for morale — it's essential for productivity, profitability and long-term resilience."

This report marks the beginning of a broader conversation. A second installment in The State of Careers series will be released later this year, offering deeper insights and practical strategies for organizations seeking to future-proof their workforce.

To explore the full report, including strategies to bridge the engagement gap, visit: www.right.com/state-of-careers.

ABOUT MANPOWERGROUP

ManpowerGroup® (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing, and managing the talent that enables them to win. We develop innovative solutions for hundreds of thousands of organizations every year, providing them with skilled talent while finding meaningful, sustainable employment for millions of people across a wide range of industries and skills. Our expert family of brands—Manpower, Experis, and Talent Solutions—creates substantially more value for candidates and clients across more than 70 countries and territories and has done so for more than 75 years. We are recognized consistently for our diversity—as a best place to work for Women, Inclusion, Equality, and Disability, and in 2025 ManpowerGroup was named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the 16th time—all confirming our position as the brand of choice for in-demand talent. 

For more information, visit www.manpowergroup.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Bluesky.

ABOUT MANPOWERGROUP TALENT SOLUTIONS RIGHT MANAGEMENT

Talent Solutions combines our leading global offerings—RPO, TAPFIN-MSP and Right Management—to help organizations address their complex workforce needs. Talent Solutions leverages our deep industry expertise and understanding of what talent wants to provide end-to-end, data-driven capabilities across the talent lifecycle. From talent attraction and acquisition to upskilling, development and retention, we provide seamless delivery, leveraging best-in-class technology and extensive workforce insights across multiple countries at scale. Right Management, part of the ManpowerGroup® family of companies—including Manpower and Experis—is our global talent management offering for outplacement, career management and leader development solutions.

 For more information, visit right.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-global-research-finds-leaders-overestimate-engagement-underestimate-what-makes-people-stay--putting-retention-productivity-and-culture-at-risk-302557492.html

SOURCE ManpowerGroup

FAQ

What are the key findings of ManpowerGroup's (MAN) 2025 State of Careers research?

The research found that 53% of leaders believe their employees are fully engaged, while only 37% of employees report full engagement. It also revealed that traditional factors like pay and perks don't drive long-term retention.

How does employee engagement vary by region in ManpowerGroup's 2025 study?

The study showed Latin America has the largest engagement perception gap (63% leaders vs 41% employees), while Europe and Asia-Pacific have the lowest engagement levels at 32% and 33% respectively.

What is the main disconnect between leaders and employees according to ManpowerGroup's 2025 research?

The main disconnect is that while leaders believe their teams are thriving, only 24% recognize cultural fit importance and 19% prioritize career development, despite these being top engagement drivers for employees.

What factors drive employee retention according to ManpowerGroup's 2025 State of Careers report?

The research reveals that while pay and perks may attract talent, long-term retention is driven by deeper factors such as purpose, growth opportunities, and cultural alignment.