Dive Brief:
- As many as 1 in 3 Americans say they’re experiencing layoff anxiety for 2025, according to the results of a recent survey by lending firm Clarify Capital.
- Layoff anxiety is most pronounced among Generation Z and is more than double among remote workers than in-office employees, per the survey.
- Of the 1,000 adults surveyed, 1 in 4 said they feel insecure about their job because of the current economic climate.
Dive Insight:
As news of layoffs — both in the private sector and in the federal government — continues to spread across industries, workers are wary.
Workers’ fears aren’t unwarranted; nearly half of U.S. managers said their company is likely to lay off workers this year, according to a January report from ResumeTemplates.com.
Employees say they notice telltale signs of layoffs before the cuts hit, chief among them team restructuring, cost-cutting efforts and a freeze in hiring and promotions, the survey found.
Workers say they are willing to do what it takes to keep their jobs, as 13% don’t have a savings account to fall back on. Forty-six percent of employees say they would take on extra work or responsibilities, while a smaller share would move to an undesirable position, go back into the office full time, switch to a part-time role or even accept a pay cut to avoid losing their job, the survey found.
Layoff anxiety, too, is affecting workers’ career aspirations; 69% of those surveyed consider job security more important than career growth.