Entering 2026, millions of American workers are coping with layoff anxiety—the complicated feelings of emotional strain, financial worry, and overall career uncertainty that go along with the fear of losing their job. Today, this is no longer a hypothetical fear or an unlikely scenario. It’s a very real concern given the economic conditions that have made what was once job security feel like job insecurity.
Let’s take a look at the numbers. U.S. employers reported over 1.17 million layoffs in 2025, making it the year with the highest total number of layoffs since the COVID-19-ridden 2020. At the same time, the job market shrank. Job openings have fallen from over 12 million in 2022 to 7.2-7.8 million in 2025, so employees who lose their jobs have fewer, more competitive opportunities for next steps. Labor market analysts have coined the current environment as a “no fire, no hire” era, where layoffs remain elevated while companies pull back on new hiring.
The economy at large is adding to job seekers’ and employees’ stress, with persistent inflation and widespread cost-cutting in the workplace. Instability is creeping into every industry and experience level.
With all of this in mind, layoff anxiety is now more than just a hypothetical, “maybe someday” possibility. It’s an everyday reality. The question isn’t about whether economic uncertainty will hit your organization; it’s about how you’ll respond when it does.
What Workers Are Saying
It’s clear that economic uncertainty and layoff anxiety are affecting the workforce, but how are people really feeling?
- 36% of American workers are worried about losing their jobs in 2026
- 47% of remote workers experience layoff anxiety (versus 20% of in-office workers)
- 48% of Americans feel more financially stressed starting 2026 than they did starting 2025
- 33% cite job insecurity as a top concern
What makes this moment particularly unsettling is that layoff anxiety has become universal. This is no longer confined to workers in traditionally volatile sectors or younger professionals with less experience. Seasoned professionals in tech, finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail are all experiencing the same uncertainty. Whether you’ve been with your company for six months or sixteen years, whether you work in a booming industry or a struggling one, the fear of “being next” has become part of the mainstream professional experience. The old assumptions about job security—that performance, loyalty, or seniority would protect you—feel increasingly unreliable in an environment where even profitable companies are making strategic cuts.
What Does This Mean for Your Organization?
As employees continue to brace for economic instability, burnout, and the possibility of layoffs, they’re signaling to something else: career self-preservation. What started as a pause in job-hopping has become something more permanent.
This is the Great Stay—a workforce choosing security over ambition and stability over exploration. Employees aren’t disengaged; they’re cautious and, frankly, scared. While under normal circumstances they might have leaned into opportunity, now they’re waiting out uncertainty and holding onto their current roles with a white-knuckled grip.
For organizations, the impact of this stagnation is huge.
Layoff anxiety isn’t just an employee issue—it’s a culture issue. Constant uncertainty and anxiety create stress and distraction, deteriorating their focus and productivity over time. Employees become less willing to pursue stretch roles, internal mobility, or leadership opportunities because change feels risky. Innovation slows. Momentum stalls.
The result may look like retention on paper, but below the surface, it often signals burnout, reduced engagement, and a workforce operating in survival mode. For leaders, the real question isn’t how many people are staying—it’s why, and what kind of culture that fear is quietly shaping.
Why It’s Continuing
Layoff anxiety isn’t going away anytime soon. How do we know? Many organizations are choosing to keep their headcount the same rather than take a risk on expansion, freezing or slowing hiring as they reassess priorities and costs. Even profitable companies are prioritizing efficiency, cost control, and flexibility—not growth. There will likely be fewer new roles and longer timelines for refilling open positions.
At the same time, AI and automation are reshaping workforces. Technology might not be eliminating entire job categories or teams overnight, but it is changing how work gets done and how many people are needed to do it. As organizations redesign and restructure to streamline functions, workers are left wondering which skills are deemed essential and which will disappear in the coming years—this adds another layer of uncertainty.
Ongoing economic pressure—global trade volatility, inflation, increasing operating costs, “liveable wages” rising—makes it clear that organizations are, and should be, hesitant to make long-term talent commitments. Together, all of these factors combine to make a labor market defined by restraint. But restraint that is sustained for years is how you create an environment where layoff anxiety comes and doesn’t go away.
How We Can Help
With uncertainty on the horizon for many organizations, whether you’re already considering a restructuring or reduction in workforce or not, now is the time to establish an Outplacement Services program. Layoff anxiety is on your employees’ minds, and it should be on your leaders’ minds as well. Our programs are an insurance plan that, if or when you are laying off part of your team, provide security, confidence, and assistance during career transitions.
We offer comprehensive and custom Outplacement support, designed to help employees transition with dignity while protecting your employer brand. We give workers the tools and resources to reframe their career transition as a strategic pause rather than a setback.
Our team matches every departing employee to a dedicated career coach who provides one-on-one guidance through every step of their transition—from self-assessment and job search strategy to resume development, interview prep, networking, and more. These offerings aren’t one-size-fits-all: we tailor support to the individual needs and career stages, helping your talent land new roles faster with more confidence.
Outplacement isn’t just for the departing employees. It also supports those who stay. When they see your organization treating those who leave with respect, dignity, and further investment into their individual success, it strengthens morale and trust in the organization, as well as minimizing any potential drops in productivity.
In a labor market defined by anxiety and uncertainty, offering comprehensive, robust Outplacement Services signals that your organization values your people as individuals, not just numbers in the system. Supporting career transitions demonstrates leadership, preserves your reputation, and ensures your organization comes out of this transition stronger and more resilient.
Conclusion
If you’re ready to talk about an Outplacement strategy for your organization, let’s connect. We’ll show you how Promark supports people, protects culture, and delivers results when it matters most. Because your talent deserves it.