SUCCESS finds job lock rising

SUCCESS magazine’s August 5 article on “job lock” put a simple number on a long-running U.S. labor-market problem: nearly one in four workers say they are staying in a job they want to leave because they fear losing health insurance. The figure comes from new research by the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America, not from SUCCESS itself. Gallup said 24% of U.S. workers with employer-sponsored coverage fit that definition, equal to about 23 million adults. That makes the SUCCESS piece less a standalone finding than a synthesis of a broader affordability story. Gallup said the share is up eight percentage points from 2021, based on a nationally representative study conducted from Oct. 27 to Dec. 22, 2025, among 5,660 U.S. adults, including a 2,322-person subset of employed adults who rely on employer-sponsored insurance. (success.com) ### Where does the 24% figure actually come from? Gallup published the underlying result on July 21, saying 24% of U.S. workers report “job lock” — staying in a current job they want to leave because they are afraid of losing health insurance. West Health issued a companion release on July 22 with the same topline number and estimate of about 23 million adults. (news.gallup.com) SUCCESS, in its August 5 article, cited that research and described job lock as no longer “a fringe experience.” The magazine also noted the eight-point increase since 2021 and attributed the research to the West Health-Gallup Center. ### Which workers are most likely to feel stuck? Workers with chronic conditions and workers under medical financial strain reported much higher rates. (news.gallup.com) Gallup said 29% of workers with chronic conditions reported job lock, versus 17% of those without; West Health said the rate rises to more than 40% for workers with three or more chronic conditions. (success.com) Medical debt was another dividing line. Gallup said 44% of workers with personal or household medical debt reported staying in an unwanted job for insurance, compared with 21% of those without such debt. The same Gallup release said 48% of people who view healthcare costs as a major financial burden and 53% of those who report “a lot of stress” over healthcare costs also reported job lock. (news.gallup.com) SUCCESS added income and gender detail from the same research. The article said job lock peaks at 27% among households earning $48,000 to $90,000 a year, and that women report it at 30% versus 20% for men. ### Why is health insurance driving career decisions this directly? West Health President Tim Lash said the findings show how healthcare affordability shapes decisions “far beyond any immediate or future illness or condition.” In the same release, he said millions of Americans are effectively forced to choose between pursuing a better opportunity and maintaining access to insurance. (news.gallup.com) (success.com) Ellyn Maese, a research director at the West Health-Gallup Center, gave SUCCESS a sharper frame through comments she made to NPR and that the magazine quoted. “Anybody having to stay in a job just to keep their health insurance, knowing that they want to leave, is crazy,” Maese said, adding that even a 10% rate would be concerning. ### Is this only a worker problem, or an employer problem too? (westhealth.org) SUCCESS cited Ethan McCarty, founder and chief executive of workforce research firm Integral, saying job lock costs about $137,000 per 100 employees a year in lost productivity, separate from attrition and disengagement costs. That estimate, as presented by SUCCESS, points to employer costs from workers who remain on payroll but are no longer fully engaged. (success.com) Gallup framed the broader backdrop as affordability pressure. Its July 21 release said about half of Americans report difficulty consistently paying for needed medical care or prescriptions, while 51% said they are worried about affording healthcare over the next 12 months — the highest level in five years. ### What should readers watch next? (success.com) The next useful marker is whether West Health-Gallup updates the measure again after the 2025 field period and whether employer coverage costs ease enough to change the 24% rate. For now, the primary source remains Gallup’s July 21 analysis and West Health’s July 22 release, both of which SUCCESS used for its August 5 article. (news.gallup.com)