Fewer than 30% of U.S. workers feel interested in and connected to their work, Gallup reports. This is the lowest level since 2011. The number fell two percentage points from the last quarter, or three-month period. That means about 3.2 million fewer workers feel connected to their jobs.
The share of actively disengaged workers rose from 17% to 18%. For people working from home full time, interest and connection fell five points. For people working at their workplace, the fall was about one point.
The drop was greatest at organizations using artificial intelligence, or AI. This was true for home workers and people splitting their time between home and the workplace. Earlier in 2026, these organizations had stronger results than others in the same business.
From April through June, their lead was eight points for people splitting their work time. It was five points for full-time home workers. From July through September, both leads fell to two points.
Fewer workers felt sure about their work duties or support. Only 46% strongly agreed they knew what was expected of them at work, down three points. The share strongly agreeing that someone at work cared about them fell from 40% to 37%. Gallup questioned whether communication and managers' help kept up with AI use.
