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1 in 3 Americans have 'layoff anxiety' in 2025, survey finds

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Published  February 25, 2025 6:17pm EST
Economy
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The Brief

    • A new survey revealed that 1 in 3 Americans are experiencing "layoff anxiety" due to economic uncertainty and mass layoffs in 2025.
    • The survey found that remote workers are most affected, with nearly 47% expressing concerns about job security.
    • Many workers said they were willing to accept pay cuts, with nearly 1 in 3 willing to take a 10-20% reduction to avoid layoffs.

If you’re feeling insecure about your job or keeping it in 2025, you’re not alone.

A new survey shows that economic uncertainty and mass layoffs are pushing American workers to the brink, with in 1 in 3 reporting "layoff anxiety." 

Survey investigates layoff anxiety

By the numbers:

The survey, published by Clarify Capital last week, surveyed 1,000 Americans to investigate how layoff anxiety and economic uncertainty in 2025 shape American workers' fears, decisions and financial resilience. 

The average age of respondents was 40, comprised of 54% males, 45% females and 1% nonbinary. Their generational makeup included 30% baby boomers and Gen X, 58% millennials and 12% Gen Z.

1 in 3 Americans have layoff anxiety, survey finds

The survey found that 1 in 3 Americans have "layoff anxiety" in 2025, with more than 69% of Americans prioritizing job security over career growth.

Layoff anxiety was most common among remote workers (47%) – more than double that of in-office workers (20%).

The survey also revealed that nearly 1 in 3 Americans would take a 10-20% pay cut to avoid being laid off.

Layoffs in 2025

The backstory:

This survey comes as many companies have already announced layoffs this year.

Headcount reductions in early 2025 are taking place at companies in a broad range of sectors, impacting thousands of employees.

RELATED: 2025 layoffs: List of companies cutting jobs this year

Nearly 49,800 jobs received the ax from U.S. companies in January, according to a Feb. 6 report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Starbucks also announced Monday that it would be laying off 1,100 corporate employees across the globe. 

Despite this, nearly 3 in 4 Americans said in the survey that they would still work at a Fortune 500 company despite their recent mass layoffs.

The Source

  • The information for this story was provided by Clarify Capital, which surveyed 1,000 Americans for the survey. The average age of respondents was 40, and they comprised 54% males, 45% females, and 1% nonbinary. Their generational makeup included 30% baby boomers and Gen X, 58% millennials, and 12% Gen Z. Other information was provided by previous FOX TV Stations reporting. This story was reported from Los Angeles.

EconomyU.S.Mental Health