Workforce Confidence Index Results Summary Wave 11

Workforce Confidence Index · Wave 11 · Executive Summary Preview

Confidence Eases in June After May Rebound

Overall confidence moderated in June after the strong rebound seen in May. Workers remain more optimistic than they were in April, but economic uncertainty, AI disruption, inflation, and policy volatility continue to weigh on sentiment.

June 1 – June 30, 2026562 U.S. professionals20+ industries
Industry outlook
32.6%
Very or extremely confident
Job security
51%
Very or completely secure
Personal finances
47%
Very or extremely confident
Career movement
31%
Looking or considering a move

Confidence Trend

AprilLower baseline
MayStrong rebound
JuneModerate optimism

June shows cooling rather than collapse: confidence moved down from May’s elevated level but remained above April.

Leadership Confidence

Executive leadership59%
Department or team leadership61%
Direct manager or supervisor61%

Leadership confidence remains resilient, with roughly six in ten workers expressing strong or complete confidence.

Institutional Trust Ranking

Mean rank shown below. Lower mean = more trusted.

1
Company leadership
Mean 1.74
2
Trade associations
Mean 1.95
3
Business media
Mean 3.09
4
State / local government
Mean 3.69
5
Federal government
Mean 4.53

Top Concerns

Darker red/orange indicates a hotter concern in open-ended responses.

AI & automationEconomic uncertaintyInflationGovernment policyJob securityLayoffsTariffsLabor shortagesSlowing business activity

AI, economic uncertainty, inflation, government policy changes, job security, layoffs, and slowing business activity remain the most visible themes in open-ended responses.

Participants

Wave 11 included feedback from 562 professionals across more than 20 industries in the United States, spanning leadership, management, technical, skilled-trade, sales, and administrative roles.

Built environmentManufacturingTechnology & ITHealthcareProfessional servicesLogisticsEnergy & utilitiesPublic sector

Why It Matters

Workforce sentiment often shifts before business behavior does. Monitoring confidence, institutional trust, career outlooks, AI concerns, and economic pressure points over time helps organizations better understand emerging risks and workforce stability.

Future waves will continue tracking workforce confidence, institutional trust, AI disruption concerns, and career outlooks.

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