Fewer than one in five employees under the age of 35 (18.4%) are "autonomously motivated," compared to almost three in ten (29.2%) five years ago, according to a new study by HR service provider Securex.
Autonomous motivation – the internal drive to work based on personal interest or because the work feels meaningful – is an important protection against burnout and increases productivity.
However, it is precisely that drive that has declined sharply among young people, Securex found. Young employees said they feel less connected to their job and see fewer opportunities to use their competencies.
Not surprisingly, the share of poorly motivated young employees has also increased sharply: from 29.2% in 2019 to 39.8% in 2025. Strikingly, an opposite movement can be seen among employees over the age of 50: autonomous motivation increased from 23.4% to 35.7%.
Autonomous motivation is strongly linked to well-being. Only 10.4% of autonomously motivated people are sick three or more times a year, compared to 16.3% of weakly motivated people. The risk of burnout is also much lower, the study shows: 26.1% of those with weak motivation are in the red zone for burnout.
Focusing on autonomous motivation is more than just a "nice to have," according to work and motivation psychologist Anja Van den Broeck (KU Leuven). "When employees get more energy from their work, they are less likely to burnout and are also more involved in the objectives of the organisation."
In April, Securex surveyed 1,482 employees, representative of the Belgian labour market in terms of age, gender, status and region.
