Nearly half of workers in Switzerland report being dissatisfied with their jobs, the latest global employment study from Gallup has revealed. They found that staff loyalty to work and employers in the alpine nation is one of the lowest in Europe.

Global satisfaction with work is on the decline

To assess the “current state of employee mental health and wellbeing” and the job market as a whole, Gallup conducted over 2 million interviews with respondents from 160 countries around the world - 1.000 of whom were based in Switzerland. They found that in 2024, the overall well-being of the global workforce has been declining.

Across the globe, 62 percent of workers reported feeling disengaged and unenthusiastic about their work. According to Gallup, poor management, working conditions and ongoing stress at work which leads employees to disengage, is estimated to cost 8,9 trillion US dollars in lost productivity worldwide.

Swiss workers are some of the least engaged in Europe

One of the main challenges that Switzerland faces is employee enthusiasm for work: 91 percent of workers surveyed said they felt disengaged, the fourth-worst rate of engagement in Europe in front of just Italy, Luxembourg and France. This means that only 9 percent of the working population felt they “have a chance to contribute, a sense of belonging, and opportunities to learn and grow.”

This lack of engagement with work is a Europe-wide phenomenon with Switzerland in the midst of the storm. In Romania, the country with the highest rate of employee engagement, just 36 percent of those surveyed reported being engaged with their 9 to 5.

One in 10 workers in Switzerland have "quiet quitted"

Only around one in 10 people in Switzerland said that they felt an attachment to their employer, while the vast majority reported doing their job exactly “by the book” and within working hours. What's more, one in 10 said that they have "quiet quitted" or mentally resigned from their work.

However, this engagement problem is not reflected in the number of people seeking a fresh start. Just one in five in Switzerland said they were actively looking for a new job, though 48 percent said it “would be a good time” to look for new employment.

Job satisfaction in Switzerland falls by 5 percent

In addition, just 54 percent of Swiss workers said that they were satisfied with their employment, the 11th highest rate in Europe but still far behind the front runners Finland (83 percent), Denmark (77 percent), Iceland (76 percent) and the Netherlands (71 percent). However, while still relatively high in comparison to most European nations, job satisfaction rates in Switzerland have fallen by 5 percentage points compared to last year.

Nevertheless, the alpine nation still scored relatively well when it came to how employees connect with their jobs on an emotional level. 30 percent of workers reported daily stress (the 6th best in Europe out of 38), 15 reported feeling sad (19th best) and just 13 percent reported anger (15th best).

Which European countries have the most satisfied workers?

In all, here are the countries in Europe with the most satisfied workers in 2024:

1. Finland
2. Denmark 
3. Iceland
4. The Netherlands
5. Sweden 
6. Norway 
7. Belgium
8. Lithuania 
9. Slovakia 
10. Czechia

To find out more, check out the official study.