Twenty-one percent of workers in the United States are fully engaged on the job and willing to go the extra mile for their companies, down slightly from 22 percent in 2003, according to a survey by Towers Perrin's HR Services business. 

In general, employees remain frustrated and skeptical about both their senior leadership and how well their company is delivering on their "employment deal" (defined as the implied working contract between employer and employee), according to the firm. 

"Employees in the United States feel they've hung in during the tough years," says Julie Gebauer, managing director and leader of the firm's Workforce Effectiveness practice. "They don't think they've seen enough in terms of pay raises, incentives or other rewards for their contributions--despite hearing lots of talk about 'pay for performance.' And this view appears to be intensifying as the economy regains steam."

Gebauer says employees' skepticism and frustration could lead to increased turnover.

"More than half of our U.S. respondents (55%) are what we call 'passive job seekers'--open and vulnerable to other job offers," she says. "Our research underscores that an effective employment proposition goes well beyond pay and benefits. Elements like career opportunities, fairness and work/life balance are often more important than pay and benefits when people are making decisions about whether to stay with or leave a company." 

The firm surveyed more than 85,000 people working for large and midsize companies in 16 countries. It found the highest levels of employee engagement-- a measure of people's willingness and ability to give discretionary effort at work-- in Brazil (31 percent) and Mexico (40 percent).