Who is Engaged at Work?: A large-Scale Study in 30 European Countries

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to investigate differences in the levels of work engagement across demographic and work- and organization-related factors, and their relative importance for work engagement. METHODS: The study was based on a sample of 17 498 male and 17 897 female employees from the sixth European Working Conditions Survey collected in 2015. Linear regression models and dominance analysis were used. RESULTS: Several significant differences between the levels of work engagement in different demographic and work- and organization-related groups. Employees working in human service occupations reported higher levels of work engagement than employees in other industries. Relatively, occupational group (68%) and industry (17%) contributed most to work engagement. CONCLUSIONS: It is important to focus on enhancing work engagement, particularly among less educated employees, among those with non-permanent contracts, and in certain occupations.