Survey finds rise in 'job hugging'

- The percentage of workers "job hugging" jumped from 45% in August 2025 to 57% in February 2026, indicating a rapid increase in risk aversion among employees. - A primary driver of this trend is fear over job security, with 70% of job huggers worried about AI's impact on their role and 63% concerned about potential layoffs within the next six months. - The tech industry, a major source of recent job market anxiety, has seen over 30,700 layoffs globally in just the first few weeks of 2026, with over 80% of those cuts occurring in the United States. - This cautious employee behavior aligns with a stabilizing job market where average employee tenure in the European tech industry has gradually increased from 1 year and 9 months in 2023 to 2 years and 1 month in 2025. - Despite the layoffs, overall tech employment in the U.S. remains 3.2% above pre-pandemic levels, with roles in AI and cybersecurity seeing salary increases of 12% and 15% respectively. - For Sales Development Representatives (SDRs), AI is automating 70-90% of routine tasks like research and email sequencing, shifting the role to focus more on strategy and relationship-building. - While AI is a source of anxiety, it is also seen as a productivity multiplier in sales, with some companies reporting that sales teams spend 40-60% less time on administrative tasks, allowing more focus on high-value activities. - The current sentiment is a stark contrast to the "Great Resignation" of recent years, with the national quit rate declining and only 28% of employees feeling that now is a good time to find a new job, the lowest confidence level since 2013.