Dive Brief:
- Work feels like a “situationship,” according to a report released July 14 by Zety. Akin to a casual dating scenario, 59% of workers told Zety they don’t see a “clear, long-term path” forward with their current workplace.
- Likewise, the majority of workers said they don’t feel their employers are committed to retaining them long-term.
- Be that as it may, workers still feel like leaving their employer is too great a risk; 60% said they stay due to financial reasons and 47% said they stay due to familiarity.
Dive Insight:
Employees said they were particularly dissatisfied with the path forward; 32% said they have limited growth opportunities, and 23% reported feeling unfulfilled or frustrated.
In this job market tug-of-war, employers and employees continue to look for common ground on the future of work. In late 2025, Workday data analysis suggested top talent was quitting because individuals felt their career growth had stalled. “AI may be rewriting the rules of work, but it cannot replace the value of engaged, motivated people,” a Workday executive said in a statement at the time.
Earlier this year, a SHRM conference session also suggested that turnover was a looming risk, blaming worker malaise on a lack of career agency. The speaker suggested the future of work was difficult to parse out because it is constantly evolving rapidly.
Per Monster’s 2026 Hiring WorkWatch Report, 52% of employers said retention was their top workforce priority in 2026, compared to 45% of employers who said they were focused on hiring talent. Employers “are keeping strong employees, building skills internally, and adopting AI thoughtfully,” the Monster report said at the time.