Employees around the world are experiencing a fall in job satisfaction, despite increasing wellbeing and confidence, according to the 2025 Global Talent Barometer from ManpowerGroup.

The report measures employee’s wellbeing, job satisfaction, and confidence, surveying more than 13,000 workers from 19 countries across Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia.

The second iteration of the Global Talent Barometer found that while there was a rise in worker wellbeing (measured at 67%) and confidence (76%), there was a year-on-year drop in job satisfaction (62%) globally.

Just over half of employees (55%) said they were satisfied with their job and unlikely to voluntarily leave in the next six months, while two in three (65%) felt their job was secure for the next six months.

Job satisfaction was found to have fallen the most among Millennial women (aged 29-44), down 6% year-on-year.

However, a similar level (61%) felt they had “moderate to high” confidence in their ability to find another job in the next six months.

Managers were found to be most at risk for job satisfaction, with one in three (34%) bracing for possible job loss in the coming 6 months.

Meanwhile, managers also ranked highest for those feeling their careers are at risk, primarily “due to economic instability, restructuring, and AI,” the report stated.

However, even with uncertainty over job stability, managers continued to build trust with employees. According to the findings, more workers now believe their managers have their backs, up 4% since 2024.

Three major challenges for HR leaders to be addressed as a priority

Speaking exclusively to UNLEASH about the findings, Anna Spaul, Director of Data Innovation at ManpowerGroup UK, says the 2025 Talent Barometer highlights “three interconnected challenges for organizations and HR leaders — availability, suitability and sustainability.”

“In the UK, each of these has been negatively impacted by a sharp drop in workforce confidence caused by fears around job security, automation and rigid return-to-office mandates,” Spaul explains.

“This is all driving workforce disengagement at a time when the overall hiring intent has dropped 12% in the last business quarter according to ManpowerGroup’s Employment Outlook Survey.”

Stress was found to be one of the most prevalent barriers to retaining employees by the research.

Despite the vast majority of workers finding their work meaningful and purposeful (82%), nearly half of the workforce (49%) continue to experience moderate to high daily stress – middle managers and Gen Z employees at the top of the list.

The report also highlighted that mid-career professionals, “especially women, represent a critical yet underutilized talent pool” and that this group of workers should be offered “clear career paths, recognition, and support” to combat falling job satisfaction.

Spaul adds that HR leaders must act to individually address the three key challenges she highlighted” as a priority.

“Availability by widening talent pools beyond traditional profiles, suitability by accelerating upskilling to help close widening skill gaps, and sustainability by embedding more flexible work models to restore employee trust,” she recommends.

These actions are essential not only to attract and retain talent but to protect business resilience and growth in an increasingly uncertain labor market.”