BANGKOK — Thai employees continue to have one of the highest levels of employee engagement in Southeast Asia, according to Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace report. In 2025, just over one in three Thai employees (34%) were engaged in their jobs, on par with the previous reading (33%), which represented a new high in the decade-plus trend (based on three-year rolling averages).
The earliest reading from 2012 found that 14% of Thai workers were engaged, before rising above 20% for the first time in 2016 and above 30% for the first time in 2024.
Gallup defines employee engagement as the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their work and workplace, including the emotional connection and commitment that workers have to their organization. Employee engagement in Thailand is nearly 10 percentage points higher than the average for Southeast Asia (25%) and is significantly higher than the global average (20%).
Despite the steady rise in engagement over time, most Thai workers are still considered “not engaged” in their jobs (60%), though this has fallen from above 80% a little over a decade ago. One in 20 employees (5%) are actively disengaged at work, down marginally from a peak of 9% in 2021 and 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thailand’s economy and workforce have also evolved over the past decade. Foreign direct investment has grown from a variety of sources, bringing new employment opportunities in high-growth sectors like the digital economy. In parallel, the government has invested in workforce development, building the foundational skills of its workforce to ensure Thai workers can access and benefit from these opportunities.
Thailand Stands Out Compared With Other Southeast Asian Countries
Thailand’s steady rise in employee engagement over the past decade stands out compared with the wider region of Southeast Asia. Since 2014 — the first time most of Southeast Asia was asked this question consistently — engagement has more than doubled from 15% to 34%, an increase of 19 points.
No other country in Southeast Asia has seen a bigger increase over the same period. Engagement in Indonesia has risen by 18 points since 2014 — although it remains lower than in Thailand, at 27%. Engagement in Malaysia has risen by 11 points, and in Myanmar by 10 points. The 19-point rise in Thai engagement is not only the biggest increase in the region, but also one of the top five largest increases anywhere in the world since 2014.
Employee Wellbeing in Thailand Also Above Regional Average
Thai employees’ average life evaluation has been rising steadily since 2017, with the percentage classified as “thriving” reaching 41% in 2025. Prior to that, the thriving rate had peaked at 48% in 2014 — and then fell 15 points to 33% by 2017, following a military coup. Despite these changes, employee wellbeing in Thailand has been consistently above the regional average, even with the thriving rate staying at a record-high 36% across Southeast Asia last year.
The divergent longer-term trajectories of Thai employees’ wellbeing and engagement show that their life experiences have not changed in a uniform way over the past decade. Though the thriving rate is seven points lower than in 2014, engagement at work has doubled over the same period.
Optimism About Local Job Market Recovers From Pandemic Lows
For the past two years, a slim majority of Thai employees have said it is a good time to find a job where they live, with 56% expressing that view in 2025. This represents a significant recovery from the pandemic, when roughly one in three (32%) expressed optimism about their local job market.
However, optimism remains well below the levels seen from 2012 to 2014, when about seven in 10 employees said it was a good time to find a job locally. It is now consistent with the first year of the trend in 2010 (56%) and is lower than the current average for Southeast Asia (64%). While real unemployment levels remain low in Thailand, economic growth has been relatively sluggish since the pandemic, compared with figures measured in the years prior.
Bottom Line
Thailand stands out globally as an employee engagement success story. The steady gains seen there on this metric over the past decade surpass the gains seen in most other countries and place Thailand among the most engaged countries in Southeast Asia in 2025. However, two-thirds of Thai employees are still not fully engaged in their work, showing there is still considerable room to improve.
Download the State of the Global Workplace report to explore global engagement trends and effective employee engagement strategies shaping today’s workforce.
