SHRM Global Employee Monitor Finds Workers Remain Optimistic Despite Growing Economic Uncertainty

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Today, SHRM, the trusted authority on all things work, workers, and the workplace, released its Q2 2026 Global Employee Monitor, revealing that workers across 26 countries continue to feel confident in their skills, optimistic about their organizations, and increasingly comfortable using artificial intelligence at work — even as concerns about the broader economy continue to grow. The quarterly report examines the factors shaping employee attraction, retention, engagement, well-being, AI adoption, and workers' outlook for the future.

Key Findings:

• Pay remains the highest-ranked factor influencing workers' decisions to join, remain with, and leave organizations, while benefits, job security, career advancement, and work-life balance also consistently rank among workers' top priorities.

• Growth and purpose drive engagement, while compensation, job security, workplace culture, and leadership are more strongly associated with retention. 

• AI adoption continues to expand, with generative AI remaining the most commonly-used form of AI and use of predictive, automation, optimization, and agentic AI increasing modestly from Q1. 

• 70% of workers are highly confident that their current skill set would be valuable in roles at other organizations.

• Economic confidence weakened, as unfavorable views of economic conditions, cost of living, and financial health all increased modestly from the previous quarter. 

"One of the clearest patterns in this quarter's findings is the widening gap between how workers view the broader economy and how they view their own workplaces," said James Atkinson, vice president of thought leadership at SHRM. "While concerns about economic conditions became more pronounced, workers' confidence in their organizations, their skills, and their ability to adapt remained remarkably consistent. Together, these findings suggest that workers' perceptions of their own workplace experiences remained resilient despite growing uncertainty about the broader economy."

The findings show that workers' core expectations of employers changed little from the first quarter despite ongoing economic and technological change. Pay, benefits, and job security continued to shape employment decisions, while meaningful work, career advancement opportunities, and skill development remained the strongest drivers of employee engagement. More than six in 10 workers also said they were more inclined to stay with their current employer than leave, indicating overall retention sentiment has remained stable.

The report also highlights the continued integration of artificial intelligence into the workplace. Even as AI use expanded, concerns about AI's impact on job change or elimination remained relatively low and stable, suggesting AI adoption continues to outpace worker anxiety.

Even as workers remained optimistic about their own futures and their organizations, perceptions of broader economic conditions became less favorable during the second quarter. Positive assessments of economic conditions, job markets, and the cost of living all declined modestly compared with Q1, reinforcing the distinction between workers' confidence in their own employment situations and their outlook on the broader economy.

Methodology

The Q2 2026 Global Employee Monitor is based on responses from 5,747 workers across 26 countries collected between April 27 and May 20, 2026, through a third-party online panel. Participants were at least 18 years old and employed either full- or part-time at organizations with at least two employees. The quarterly study examines worker attraction, retention, engagement, well-being, AI adoption, and future outlook to provide employers with a global pulse on workforce trends. 

About SHRM

SHRM is a member-driven catalyst for creating better workplaces where people and businesses thrive together. As the trusted authority on all things work, SHRM is the foremost expert, researcher, advocate, and thought leader on issues and innovations impacting today's evolving workplaces. With nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries, SHRM touches the lives of more than 362 million workers and their families globally. Discover more at SHRM.org.