Resilience is shaped by far more than psychological strength, with financial security, physical health, social connections and digital confidence all contributing to people’s ability to adapt to change, according to new research.

The findings point to a broader definition of personal resilience, spanning five interconnected domains rather than one psychological characteristic. According to the report, understanding those dimensions could give organisations a clearer picture of how prepared their staff are for disruption and where vulnerabilities may lie.

According to the Global People Resilience Study 2026 from Zurich Insurance, staff with the highest levels of resilience report good or excellent performance at twice the rate of those with the lowest resilience, while highly resilient employees are more than four times as likely to recommend their employer. The most resilient group also records an employee Net Promoter Score 75 points higher than the least resilient group.

The research positions personal resilience as a potential complement to conventional well-being measures, offering a forward-looking perspective on how prepared people may be to respond to changing circumstances.

The study, based on responses from 11,175 working-age adults across 16 countries, introduces Zurich’s Personal Resilience Index, developed in collaboration with Oxford Research and Development Partners. The index measures personal resilience across psychological, physical, social, financial and digital domains. It assesses beliefs, capabilities and behaviours alongside the traits, resources and capacities that shape resilience.

Financial resilience is the weakest of the five domains globally despite being one of the strongest drivers of overall resilience. Only 51% of staff feel confident they could cover a few months without income, while 61% believe their insurance protection meets their needs.

The research also shows that national wealth alone does not guarantee personal resilience, with many people remaining financially exposed to unexpected setbacks even in higher-income markets. Illness, loss of income, caring responsibilities or damage to a home can create pressures that make it harder to remain focused, productive and confident at work.

Digital adaptability is also identified as an emerging component of workforce readiness. Regular users of generative AI show higher resilience scores, while people who report better sleep record higher resilience scores across every life domain.

Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford said: "Adaptability is becoming one of the most valuable workforce capabilities. Resilience provides a forward-looking indicator of how prepared people are to navigate future uncertainty."

The research also frames resilience as a capability that can develop over time rather than simply a fixed personality trait. For employers and risk professionals, personal resilience therefore becomes a potential forward-looking complement to workplace well-being, with implications for workforce health, business continuity and performance.

The survey was conducted across Australia, Brazil, Chile, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the UK and the US. The Personal Resilience Index is informed by more than 130 academic papers.

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