TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Following the phenomenon of job hopping, a new trend called job hugging has emerged, where workers, especially from the younger generation, choose to stick with their current jobs. This is not because they feel they are developing but rather out of fear of not having a future if they switch jobs.
Job hopping, which was popular in 2021 and 2022, is a phenomenon among young people who choose to switch jobs frequently to get significant salary increases.
The Job Hugging Trend
The trend of job hugging arises as the job market worsens and significant salary increase bonuses from switching jobs are no longer easily obtained. With the prevalence of mass layoffs, rising prices, and an uncertain economy, workplace anxiety has drastically increased. As a result, many workers feel that staying in their current positions is safer and more stable than taking the risk of pursuing uncertain new opportunities.
According to CEO Summit Group Solutions Jennifer Schielke, job hugging creates an illusion of loyalty, when in fact it is a form of stagnation. If leaders perceive a low employee turnover rate as a success, they may lose the best talents when the job market improves.
"The job reports, budget constraints, and ongoing anxiety that infiltrates our workspaces, holding on to what we have seems like the logical move to achieve stability and security," she said as quoted by Forbes.
The Glassdoor Worklife Trends 2025 report shows that workers increasingly feel trapped in their careers due to a sluggish job market with slow hiring, leading to more people being forced to wait rather than move to new jobs offering better growth opportunities and higher salaries. According to Glassdoor, nearly 2 in 3 (65 percent) of respondents reported feeling "trapped" in their current roles. In the technology field, this number reaches 73 percent.
The Threat of Departure
The stagnant job market compels workers to hold on to their jobs, despite the increasing workplace uncertainties triggering concerns among employees. Although they remain in their current jobs to weather the storm, this "job hugging" action may be temporary as they prepare to switch jobs as soon as market conditions improve.
This phenomenon has occurred before. A large-scale exodus from jobs occurred due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 47 million people in the United States quit their jobs in 2021, and another 50 million in 2022, as they sought flexible work conditions and higher salaries. When job vacancies and employee turnover returned to pre-Covid-19 levels in 2023, there was a massive shift to "holding on" positions.
Currently, economic uncertainty as a result of US President Donald Trump's tariff policies threatens corporate growth plans and slows private equity funding. This, coupled with the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), triggers employee concerns about losing their jobs. This condition forces workers to hold on, albeit with additional anxiety.
"Given all the post-Covid-19 activities and then some ongoing layoffs, people are waiting and sitting still, hoping to get more stability," said Korn Ferry management consultant Stacy DeCesaro to Fortune. "No one wants to leave unless they are really unhappy or miserable with their jobs or just feel very uncomfortable with the company."
Employees may have few alternative career options at the moment, but after market conditions improve, a significant turnover will occur. "After the market improves, I think the situation will be very active because there are many pent-up demands such as, 'I've been miserable here for a while, but I'm just waiting for a better opportunity or a better market to move," DeCesaro said.
Building Communication
Schielke shared some signs of this "job hugging." These signs include an increase in stress that can affect team behavior or mood. There are performance changes when someone focuses on areas within their role that they master to showcase their capabilities, rather than the critical areas most beneficial to the entire team or the most important initiatives.
Employees seem eager to help in roles or other opportunities that can benefit the team if they can continue their current positions effectively. Workers who have surpassed their current roles, who are actually in the wrong position in their careers, but continue to cling to their positions out of fear of the job market.
Company leaders can actually use this moment to enhance employee development, mentoring, and growth. Although not switching jobs, employees need to move forward. "Great leaders will realize that stability is not the same as commitment and will use this time to build a stronger culture that will last longer than the current market," said Schielke.
Tara Ceranic Salinas, a business ethics professor and department chair of management at the Knauss School of Business, University of San Diego, said that corporate leaders need to realize that this is a challenging time for everyone and they need to act. "Companies that really want to promote employee engagement need to invest in their corporate culture and prioritize empathy and humanity beyond just talking points," she said.
If employers want to ensure that their employees do not immediately leave upon seeing other career options, DeCesaro said they need to open up communication between management and regular employees and take the time to gather and listen to input from the workers. With some types of work now fully done remotely, there needs to be ongoing efforts to gather together once a year or every three months to create a cohesive corporate culture.
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