U.S. workers are starting off the year feeling pretty glum about their job security.
Perhaps it’s because waves of layoffs at Meta and across the federal government have been dominating headlines in recent weeks. The release of the second season of the dystopian workplace drama Severance may also be contributing to the fear of getting “disappeared” from work.
Whatever the cause, 1 in 3 Americans report having “layoff anxiety,” according to a recent survey from Clarify Capital, a small-business lending firm. The company surveyed 1,000 U.S. workers in January, and it defines the term as a “fear of losing your job or worry of never finding another.”
The fear of layoffs is especially acute among Gen Z workers, who are generally 18 to 28, as well as remote workers, the survey found. The share of those groups experiencing layoff anxiety jumps to 40% and 47% respectively.
The overall share of workers experiencing layoff anxiety this year marks a slight uptick from 2024, when about 30% reported the same. MORE