‘Job hugging’ has changed job-hopping, consultants say, as staff cling to present roles

The so-called nice resignation has develop into the “nice keep.” However consultants say staff aren’t simply staying — they’re “job hugging.”

Job hugging is the act of holding onto a job “for expensive life,” consultants at Korn Ferry, an organizational consulting agency, wrote final week.

The speed at which staff are voluntarily leaving their jobs — often called the quits charge — has hovered round 2% because the begin of the yr, in accordance with information from the U.S. Labor Division’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. Outdoors of the preliminary days of the Covid-19 pandemic, ranges have not been that constantly low since early 2016.

The quits charge is a barometer of staff’ perceptions of the broader labor market, stated Laura Ullrich, director of financial analysis in North America on the Certainly Hiring Lab. On this case, they could be nervous about getting one other job or aren’t keen about their skill to search out one, she stated.

The present clinging is a stark distinction from the historic charge of job-hopping that staff exhibited in 2021 and 2022, however consultants say it is smart given present labor market tendencies.

The share of jobseekers who’re “not assured in any respect” that there are “loads of jobs” out there has elevated steadily, to 38% within the second quarter from about 26% three years earlier, in accordance with a quarterly ballot by ZipRecruiter.

“There’s this stagnation within the labor market, the place the hires, quits and layoff charges are low,” stated Ullrich. “There’s simply not a whole lot of motion in any respect.”

“There’s fairly a little bit of uncertainty on this planet — financial, political, world — and I feel uncertainty causes folks to naturally” stay in a holding sample, stated Matt Bohn, an government search advisor at Korn Ferry.

He equated the dynamic to skittish traders who typically sit on the sidelines, ready for an funding alternative.

The job market has additionally regularly cooled amid a regime of upper rates of interest, which makes it extra pricey for companies to borrow cash and broaden their operations.

The hiring charge over the previous yr or so has plunged to its lowest tempo in additional than a decade (excluding the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic) — that means those that need to search for a brand new job might have a comparatively powerful time discovering one.

Job development in current months has additionally slowed sharply, which economists level to as proof of a broader financial slowdown. The ratio of job openings per unemployed employee has fallen by about half since peaking at about 2:1 in March 2022; it was roughly 1:1 in June 2025, the newest month of obtainable federal information.

Extra CEOs reported plans to shrink their workforce over the following 12 months than broaden it — the primary time that is occurred since 2020, in accordance with a Convention Board quarterly ballot printed earlier this month. The shares have been 34% to 27%, respectively.

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Whereas it is not inherently unhealthy to remain in a job for a very long time, job “hugging” can pose some dangers for the unwary, consultants stated.

For one, they could be sacrificing some earnings development, since job switchers typically command increased wage development than those that stay of their present roles, Ullrich stated.

For instance, staff who get too comfy of their present position might stagnate relatively than tackle further accountability or be taught new expertise, which can affect marketability and profession development when the labor market improves, Bohn stated. Employers may additionally determine such staff are not assembly their efficiency requirements, he added.

Moreover, an absence of motion within the job market might make it tougher for brand new entrants like current graduates to search out work, Ullrich stated.

Correction: This text has been up to date to appropriate the timing of the Korn Ferry and Convention Board experiences.