Job switching slows as U.S. workers favor stability: Robert Half
CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — A wave of “job hugging” is taking hold as workers opt for stability over speculation, indicating a slower hiring churn through late 2025, according to new survey data and recent commentary on labor dynamics.
Robert Half reported that 73% of U.S. professionals plan to remain in their current roles through 2025, with only 27% actively looking for new jobs in the second half, down from 35% a year ago.
“In today’s market, workers are carefully evaluating their current role and what matters most in their career,” said Dawn Fay, operational president of Robert Half.
Flexibility, culture, and fulfillment anchor employees
The firm’s research highlights flexibility, positive culture, and professional fulfillment as key anchors for staying put.
Of those planning to stay, 37% cited not wanting to risk losing current flexibility, while 33% pointed to culture/manager relationships and 31% to feeling professionally fulfilled; 29% cited pay.
Mobility is not uniform: Gen Z (32%) and Millennials (31%) are more likely to search, with marketing/creative (34%) and technology (30%) leading potential turnover.
Motivations among active seekers are shifting as “better benefits and perks (45%)” now outrank higher pay (42%), with career advancement (43%) close behind, per Robert Half.
‘Big Hold’ emerges after pandemic’s mass job switches
The emerging “big hold” follows the end of the pandemic-era “great migration,” when remote work shifts spurred mass job moves. Recent coverage underscores a pivot toward job stability amid tighter employer expectations for in-office presence and a cooler hiring backdrop.
While job ads and labor demand vary by market, the narrative suggests a deceleration in voluntary quits and a normalization of post-pandemic labor flows. This stabilization could ease wage bidding wars but also temper rapid role reshuffling that had defined the recovery’s early phase.
Flexible staffing models gain traction among professionals
Even as most employees remain, 71% would consider contract roles, signaling a parallel rise in flexible staffing models that allow professionals to “select projects” and “gain diverse experience,” according to Robert Half’s guidance to candidates.
Interest in changing industries remains high among those open to a move, driven by higher salary (66%) and improved work-life balance (57%). These preferences suggest employers competing for scarce switchers will need to emphasize benefits, advancement pathways, and flexibility beyond base pay.
An independent research firm conducted the survey developed by Robert Half. More than 2,000 U.S. professionals served as respondents in the April 2025 survey.
