National Survey of 10,000 Employees Reveals AI and Human Resource Investment Alone Don't Boost Engagement

Agile HR Co., Ltd. and Intage Inc. have released an additional analysis report from their 'A&I Engagement Standard Survey,' conducted in collaboration with the University of Tokyo. This comprehensive survey included 10,576 respondents aged 15 to 79 across Japan.

### 1. Correlation Analysis at the Individual Level The analysis confirmed a strong positive correlation between employee engagement and four factors: 'Ease of speaking (Psychological Safety),' 'Career Outlook,' 'Management involvement in human investment,' and 'AI tool opportunities.' Notably, those who felt their workplace was easier to speak in showed an engagement score of 3.45, compared to 1.84 for those who did not.

### 2. Disappearance of Correlation at the Industry Level In contrast, when analyzed by industry averages, no clear correlation was found between the volume of 'Human Investment' or 'AI Opportunities' and engagement. This is because resource abundance depends heavily on industry characteristics rather than individual company efforts. - **Information & Communication**: Ranks top in investment, but engagement tends to be lower as individual commitment often focuses on personal growth over the organization. - **Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries**: Low AI opportunities, yet high engagement due to clear feelings of social contribution and tangible results.

### 3. Industry Cluster Analysis The survey categorized 16 industries into three clusters based on their characteristics: - **Cluster 1 (Education, Real Estate, Agriculture, etc.)**: Highest psychological safety and engagement. Potential for further growth through increased investment. - **Cluster 2 (IT, Finance, Civil Service)**: Highest investment but medium engagement. Requires improved management quality to translate investment into engagement. - **Cluster 3 (Manufacturing, Transport, Retail, Hospitality, etc.)**: Lowest in all metrics. Urgently needs both workload reduction and a culture that encourages open communication.

The survey suggests that simply pouring capital and technology into a business is insufficient; improving 'the quality of organizational management' tailored to specific industry traits is the key to enhancing engagement.