Global Survey: Life satisfaction in BiH increasing, low employee engagement

Compared to last year, this marks an increase of six percentage points, placing BiH among the countries with the greatest improvement in perceived quality of life.

Despite these positive shifts, employee engagement in BiH remains a challenge.

Only 17 percent of respondents said they are engaged at their workplace. Although this result exceeds the European average of 13 percent, it still reflects a low level of emotional involvement and work motivation. For comparison, in Romania—the country with the highest level of engagement in Europe—one in three employees (35%) is engaged, while Croatia ranks at the very bottom with only seven percent engaged.

Gallup’s research covered more than 160 countries. The assessment of life quality is based on the so-called Cantril Ladder: employees rate where they currently stand and where they expect to be in five years, on a scale from 0 (worst possible life) to 10 (best possible life).

Those who rate their present situation as “7” or higher, and their future as “8” or higher, are considered to be “thriving.” In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the number of employees in the “thriving” category is steadily increasing, while the share of those in more difficult circumstances is declining.

At the European level, the highest scores come from employees in Finland (81%), Iceland and Denmark (77% each). Among countries in the region, Serbia has seen the most improvement, with 55 percent “thriving,” placing it 10th in Europe. Montenegro ranks 32nd with 35 percent, while Croatia—due to a three-point drop in satisfaction—has fallen to 36th place with only 28 percent satisfied.

Gallup warns of a continued decline in global employee engagement, particularly among managers, women, and younger workers. The drop in engagement is linked to poor management and a lack of purpose in the workplace, which directly impacts productivity and team morale.