The Meaning of Work: A Global Study
What role does work really play within people's personal identity today? What does it mean for a country if the importance of work is disproportionately low compared to other countries?
Amrop's latest global study explores the role and importance of work in people's lives, comparing perspectives of 8,000 people from Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Poland, the US, and the UK.
In addition to the aspect of remuneration, work has historically performed numerous functions: it creates social contacts and relationships across all generations and economic classes, it offers space to learn and grow – and we believe that work can create profound meaning for people around the globe.
The study explores global attitudes toward work and its role in shaping personal identity, motivation, and career aspirations. By delving into key cultural, economic, and demographic factors, the findings reveal stark contrasts between the Global South and Western nations. These insights offer a nuanced understanding of the shifting dynamics of work and its relevance in the modern world.
Our hope is that this study provides “food for thought” and serves as a catalyst to further explore this fascinating topic.
Key Takeaways
In the Global South work is deeply tied to personal identity, whereas western nations prioritize balance, with family and personal wellness often surpassing work in defining identity.
The Global South focuses on leadership, while Western countries appear to struggle with leadership ambition among professionals.
Financial stability is the top motivator across all age groups and genders globally. Concerns about future earnings are highest in Poland, the USA, and France, driven by cost-of-living pressures and economic uncertainty.
The ambition gap highlights the differing significance of career aspirations between emerging economies and Western nations.
Continuous learning and career opportunities are more critical in India and China than in Germany and France. This reflects a competitive economic environment in the Global South, where skill development is vital, compared to stability-focused motivations in the West.
“Politician” was ranked the least desirable profession across all countries, with 40% of respondents globally selecting it as unattractive.
My work is a reflection of who I am
Work matters to us.
One fact stands out from the data immediately: People like to work. Across all the countries surveyed, 73% of all respondents agreed with the statement “In general, I enjoy working.” Disagreement levels (including moderate to high disagreement) were consistently low across all nations, averaging around 10%.
Looking at individual countries, India has the highest number of people who enjoy working, with 92% of respondents. Brazil came in second with 87%. France and Poland bring up the rear, with 63% and 62% of professionals respectively, they recorded the highest levels of disagreement at 11% each, while other notable exceptions include the USA (10%) and the UK (9%), reflecting slightly lower enthusiasm toward work compared to other nations.
Family & Health take center stage globally
Identities are not exclusively defined by work. People acknowledge the importance of other aspects of their lives. When asked about “factors influencing your self-perception/identity”, in the USA (62%) and Brazil (68%), respondents placed a strong emphasis on “family”, reflecting the cultural importance of close family ties.
“Personal wellness” is prioritized by 38.2% in the USA and 57.4% in Brazil; with “work/career” receiving less priority compared to other countries in the Global South region such as India (41.2%) and China (46.2%).
In China, both men (14.6%) and women (16.2%) identified “career and work” as the highest priority. Unlike other countries, Chinese people value “financial success” (men: 13.3%, women: 14.3%) more than “health and wellness” (men: 13.2%, women: 14.4%).
Perhaps surprisingly, the least important aspects of how we form self-identity globally, were “religion” (38%), “race/gender/sexual orientation/age/disability” (37%) and “social status” (36%).
A dwindling work ethic?
There are marked differences in the work ethic across countries. Responding to the statement “Being a hard worker is a virtue everyone should have”, 75% of respondents in India and 70% in the USA agreed with this, but only 35% of the respondents in France agreed. Poland (nearly 50%), Brazil (nearly 55%) and even China (nearly 63%) lag behind India and the USA in this regard.
India consistently shows high scores across all age groups for the statement, "Everyone can be successful if they try hard enough," particularly in the Old Millennials (Average: 5.37), reflecting a strong belief in the power of personal effort and determination. Similarly, “career success” is closely linked to a "good life," with Indian respondents valuing professional achievement as a key to fulfilment. This suggests that for many in India, achieving a successful career is seen as essential to attaining a good life, with hard work being the means to that success.
Global South vs. The West
Despite a common similarity when it comes to passion for work, there are imbalances between the West and the countries of the Global South. Professionals in Global South countries find their work to be more important than their peers in Western countries and show more ambition in their careers.
84% of respondents in India emphasize the importance of a successful career for a fulfilling life, a sentiment strongly echoed in China (71%) and Brazil (70%). In contrast, only 43% in Germany, 40% in France and 36% in Poland share this view. Meanwhile in the USA and the UK, more than half of respondents consider their career essential to a good life.
A Looming Leadership Crisis
Results from the study show that the Global South countries demonstrate a higher aspiration for leadership roles and entrepreneurial ventures.
76% in India express a desire to run or manage a company, followed by 66% in Brazil and 54% in China.
In contrast, the UK (52%), the USA (49%), France (37%), and Germany (36%) trail in these aspirations.
Gen Z’s show the strongest desire to take on leadership or management roles, reflecting an entrepreneurial mindset or ambition to lead. Notably, Gen Z and young millennials show higher work engagements outside formal hours highlighting a more integrated work-life culture.
“If most professionals lack ambition for leadership, who will shape the future of our economies? Our economy relies on people, their expertise, and motivation. Our research suggests a brighter future for Global South countries like Brazil and China.” – Annika Farin, Amrop Global Chair
“The drive and ambition in India, Brazil, and China generally highlight a contrast with the aging societies in the West. As Western nations also face a scarcity of qualified professionals, the ambition of their workforce becomes a decisive factor for growth, economic success, and wealth preservation.”
– Annika Farin, Amrop Global Chair
Political Profession Plummets
The survey shows that the profession of Politician is generally viewed as less aspirational compared to other roles across countries. On average among all respondents, 40% rate it the least desirable out of 18 possible options. When asked to pick the 5 least attractive professions, Politicians received the highest global count, making it the most frequently chosen as least attractive. Notably, Brazil, India, the USA, UK contribute significantly to this perception. This suggests that political roles are often seen as unappealing due to reasons such as public scrutiny, ethical concerns, or job instability.
Bridging Generational Myths
Generational differences may not be as great as we think. The survey reveals that there are more similarities than differences among the age groups. For example, although Gen Z is often cited as prioritizing workplace flexibility, including flexible work schedules and remote work, the survey results show that all generations surveyed responded at comparable rates when asked to identify the top two reasons that influenced their choice of current employment. Flexibility won out as the main driver of job choice for 21% of Gen Zers, 21% of Young Millennials, 21% of Old Millennials, and 22% of Gen Xers.
Read the Full Report
The Meaning of Work: An Amrop Global Study
DownloadMethodology
An online survey was conducted and gathered insights from 8,000 participants, with 1,000 respondents from each of the following countries: Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Poland, the US, and the UK. The survey aimed for representativeness across these diverse nations, capturing perspectives from individuals aged 20 to 60 (Gen Z: 20-26, Young Millennials: 27-34, Old Millennials: 35-42, Gen X: 43-60), all possessing at least a bachelor's degree. Where applicable, reported results represent the top two answer sets (strongly agree/agree).