In the face of today’s unsettling world events, increased corporate restructuring and AI disruption, many employees are feeling shaky about their job security, according to a newly released report.
Among 2,799 global employees surveyed by talent services firm Morgan McKinley, fewer than half (43%) said they characterized themselves as “secure” or “very secure” in their jobs. A notable minority (15%) said they feel “very insecure,” and 37% worried that their role could eventually fall victim to restructuring, AI or cost-cutting.
The nervousness is causing workers to naturally become more defensive in how they behave at work, according to Morgan McKinley.
“That can lead to lower engagement, less ownership, fewer new ideas, slower decision-making and weaker collaboration,” the firm wrote in its research report. “The strongest organizations should therefore be focusing not only on retaining talent, but also on rebuilding confidence, trust and psychological safety across their workforce.”
However, among 200 employers who were surveyed separately, 63% said they are not planning any headcount reductions, and not a single one said they expect to make “significant reductions.” About a quarter (24%) said they’re eyeing “moderate” reductions.
Still, employees aren’t inclined to take no action; 85% of them said that when faced with the fear of losing their jobs, they would start applying for new ones, and many would also take other career-protection steps.
In fact, 49% of employees said they were planning to actively look for a new job in the following six months.
On the salary front, there was a disconnect between employees and employers. Only about a third of employees (31%) said they had received an increase in the previous six months. On the other hand, almost half of employers (48%) said they raised pay across their organizations. “The findings indicate that employees experience pay stagnation more acutely than employer data alone would imply,” Morgan McKinley wrote.
Meanwhile, workplace flexibility has evolved from a benefit into a core employee expectation, according to the report. Almost half of employees (45%) said they prefer to be in the office only one or two days per week, while 15% don’t want to do so at all. Only 9% of workers said they prefer five days in the office, and 64% said flexible work arrangements have influenced their decision to accept or decline a job offer.
Employers, unsurprisingly, currently require more time in the office than workers would prefer: None said they let employees work at home full-time, and 47% require attendance more than three days a week.
