Reference page
Leadership
Statistics 2026
Current figures on engagement, management, skills, and workplace change. Each statistic links to its primary source, so it can be checked and cited with confidence.
Last updated September 18, 2026
The picture
Leadership is carrying more change, with less room for drift.
These figures bring together two large, current studies of the workplace. Gallup’s 2026 report reflects employee research collected throughout 2025. The World Economic Forum’s 2025 report draws on the perspectives of more than 1,000 global employers representing over 14 million workers.
They do not describe every organization or leadership context. They do show why leaders are being asked to create clarity, build capability, and make values visible in the way work is organized.
Engagement and management
The leadership experience is part of the workplace experience.
20%
of employees were engaged at work globally
Gallup reports that global employee engagement fell to 20% in 2025, its lowest level since 2020.
Gallup, State of the Global Workplace: 2026 Report Published 2026, reporting 2025 findings22%
of managers were engaged at work globally
Manager engagement fell from 27% in 2024 to 22% in 2025, a five-point year-over-year decline.
Gallup, State of the Global Workplace: 2026 Report Published 2026, reporting 2025 findings$10T
in lost productivity was linked to low engagement
Gallup estimates that low employee engagement cost the global economy about $10 trillion in 2025.
Gallup, State of the Global Workplace: 2026 Report Published 2026, reporting 2025 findings79%
of managers were engaged in best-practice organizations
Gallup found a much higher manager engagement rate in organizations it identifies as best practice.
Gallup, State of the Global Workplace: 2026 Report Published 2026, reporting 2025 findingsSkills and change
The work is changing, and leadership has to make the change usable.
39%
of existing skill sets are expected to change by 2030
The World Economic Forum says workers can expect two-fifths of their current skills to be transformed or become outdated between 2025 and 2030.
World Economic Forum, The Future of Jobs Report 2025 Published January 7, 202559%
of workers are expected to need training by 2030
In the Forum’s workforce scenario, 59 out of every 100 workers will need reskilling or upskilling by 2030.
World Economic Forum, The Future of Jobs Report 2025 Published January 7, 202563%
of employers name skills gaps as a major barrier
Skills gaps were the most frequently cited barrier to business transformation in the Future of Jobs Survey.
World Economic Forum, The Future of Jobs Report 2025 Published January 7, 202585%
of employers plan to prioritize workforce upskilling
Most surveyed employers expect to prioritize upskilling as changing work reshapes the skills they need.
World Economic Forum, The Future of Jobs Report 2025 Published January 7, 2025Method and sources
A concise view,
grounded in the original research.
This page selects current, directly relevant figures from two published reports. It does not combine the studies into a new benchmark or use the numbers to predict results for any individual organization.
- Gallup, State of the Global Workplace: 2026 Report Published 2026, reporting 2025 findings. Gallup’s 2025 data includes 263,810 respondents, including 141,444 employed respondents.
- World Economic Forum, The Future of Jobs Report 2025 Published January 7, 2025. Its Future of Jobs Survey includes more than 1,000 employers across 55 economies and 22 industry clusters.
Cite this page
Challenge Navigators. (2026, September 18). Leadership Statistics 2026. Retrieved from https://challengenavigators.com/leadership-statistics
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