Pluxee Study Reveals Employee Engagement Paradoxes in Era of Inflation and AI

Pluxee, a global player in employee benefits and engagement, has released its second international employee engagement study, surveying 11,000 respondents across 14 countries. The study, conducted in May 2026, provides insights into how employees are navigating the challenges of inflation and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).

According to the findings, work is becoming less central to people’s lives, yet their connection to their company is growing stronger. The share of employees who say work is the center of their lives has fallen from 19% to 13%, while "Measured Engagement" has increased from 34% to 38%. This reflects a growing tendency among employees to engage with work more deliberately to protect their boundaries, values, and work-life balance.

Professional satisfaction remains high, with 87% of employees reporting that they either ‘love’ or ‘like’ their company, up four percentage points from the previous year.

Despite financial pressures, employees are prepared to leave jobs they no longer find interesting. Financial difficulties are a top concern, with 70% of workers citing inflation and cost-of-living as their primary worry, and 25% saying they ‘cannot stop thinking about it’. In most countries surveyed, more than half of employees struggle to make ends meet, sometimes running out of money by the tenth day of the month.

However, employee loyalty is increasingly conditional. The percentage of employees who want to stay with their company ‘for as long as I can’ has fallen by 5 points compared to the first edition in 2025. Meanwhile, the percentage of employees who ‘intend to stay as long as my job remains interesting’ is on the rise, increasing by 6 points globally. Interesting work, the variety of tasks, and recognition are driving employee engagement.

Employees are also expressing a need for growth, with 25% wishing to be ‘provided with better individual support and career development opportunities’ and 21% calling for their company’s HR to put developing ‘people’s skills through more training, particularly in AI’ at the top of their agenda.

When it comes to AI, employees are surprisingly optimistic. While workers across the globe recognize that AI will be a major force in transforming the world of work, 65% welcome the AI revolution, and 40% described AI as ‘great’ and say they ‘love’ using it. This confidence is reflected in perceptions of AI’s impact on employment: 40% of employees are confident that their jobs will not disappear as a result of AI, and 42% concede that the content of their jobs will most likely change, ‘but in a positive way’, making work ‘less routine and more interesting’.

Employees are increasingly embracing AI and adapting to its growing role in the workplace. Among regular AI users, 39% say they learn to use the technology on their own, compared with just 9% who rely on managers and 9% on colleagues. With 31% of employees identifying improving efficiency as a key challenge for their organization in the years ahead, many employees view AI as a tool to save time, simplify work, and reduce complexity.

The study also highlights a clear link between employee engagement and openness to AI. Using the Engagement Spectrum introduced in Pluxee’s 2025 global study, researchers found that the more engaged and outwardly curious employees are, the more likely they are to embrace AI. While 64% of “All Parts Engaged” employees say they love AI and use it frequently, this falls to 39% among “Work Centrists” and 27% among “Outsiders”.

Pluxee, which operates in 28 countries, helps companies attract, engage, and retain talent through a broad range of solutions across Meal & Food, Well-being, Lifestyle, Reward & Recognition, and Public Benefits. The company is committed to creating a positive impact on local communities, supporting well-being at work for employees, and protecting the planet.