Only 22% of global workers feel secure in their jobs, study finds
NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES — Job security has collapsed as a workplace given, even as unemployment hovers near historic lows. A new Global Workforce Survey from ADP Research found that just 22% of workers worldwide felt their jobs were safe in 2025, with confidence ranging from 38% in Nigeria to a stunning 5% in Japan.
The anxiety cuts across regions, genders, sectors and all five generations now sharing the workforce. For United States business leaders, the gap between strong hiring numbers and weak worker confidence is no longer a contradiction to ignore — it is a retention crisis hiding in plain sight.
The confidence gap is dragging down American productivity
The fallout shows up where it hurts companies most: engagement, output and turnover. Workers fearing job loss are less engaged, more stressed, less productive and more likely to start sending out resumes.
Knowledge workers feel most secure at 30%, nearly double the share of skilled workers (18%) and repetitive task workers (16%), with finance, healthcare and technology leading the pack.
The report makes clear that “employers investing in employee development and providing clear career pathways increase workers’ sense of security and engagement.”
Translation for U.S. executives: pay raises alone will not close the confidence gap. Companies that treat skill-building and career mapping as core operations — not perks — will hold onto the talent their competitors keep losing.
Unpaid hours and generational divides reshape the future of work
The survey also exposes a quieter problem eroding workforces from within. Workers logging 16 or more unpaid hours each week report more stress, lower productivity and stronger intentions to quit, with India leading at 24% of workers exceeding that threshold.
Remote employees and younger workers are most likely to work off the clock, while only 18% of workers aged 55 and older strongly believe they have the skills to advance.
ADP states that “workers are encouraged to assess unpaid work, communicate with managers, and balance workloads to improve productivity and wellbeing.”
For U.S. outsourcing firms, the data points to a clear opening. Companies that absorb overflow workloads, build structured upskilling programs and offer transparent career pathways will attract clients struggling to retain anxious, overworked talent.
The future of work belongs to providers who can deliver what overstretched American employers cannot — stability, skill development and a workforce that trusts its own footing.
