Jeddah — Employees in the Kingdom are amongst the most engaged in the world, according to a study released on Tuesday by Aon, a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions in the Kingdom and across the MENA region.

The study titled “Trends in Middle East & North Africa Employee Engagement” shows that employee engagement in Saudi Arabia stands at 69%, which is four points higher than the global average of 65%.

Despite witnessing a drop of two points from 71% to 69% over the past 12 months, employee engagement in Saudi Arabia remains four points higher than the global average of 65% and in line with the MENA average of 69%.

The Aon study analyzed the levels and drivers of engagement amongst more than250,000 employees in more than 200 companies and 28 industries across the MENA region.

For the study, employees were asked if they say positive things about their organization and act as advocates, if they intend to stay at their workplace for a long time, and if they are motivated to strive to give their best to help the organization succeed.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) continued to record strong employee engagement levels at 70%, higher than the MENA average, although suffering a one-point decline over 2017.

The UAE saw engagement drop two points from 70% to 68 percent. The most significant drop was in the employees’ motivation and willingness to try new things for fear of occasional mistakes.

The most significant finding in the study is how businesses are now preparing for future technologies through employee engagement programs. They are now looking at nurturing the skills of staff and strengthening their technical know-how on technological advances such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Importantly, businesses have also set increased exposure to senior leadership and strategy as priority areas for their employees.

Christopher Page, CEO, Talent, Rewards & Performance, Aon Middle East and Africa, said: “The findings of our proprietary employee engagement study in MENA reflect the transformational changes that the region is witnessing today. With increased focus by regional governments on embracing digital technology as a driver for socio-economic progress, it is rewarding to see that businesses are aligned with this vision and investing in building the future-tech skills of their employees. This fits in with the true definition of employee engagement – which is all about the level of an employee’s psychological investment in their organization.” — SG