Workforce Confidence Index Results Summary Wave 12

WAVE 12Workforce Confidence IndexJuly 1 – July 30, 2026 · 473 U.S. professionals · 20+ industries

Workforce Confidence Index · Wave 12 · Archived

Wave 12 Results · July 2026

The twelfth wave of Confidence in Action: Tracking the Workforce Perspective — our ongoing measure of how U.S. professionals view their industry, their employer, and their own careers.

July 1 – July 30, 2026473 U.S. professionals20+ industries

Download Closed

This Report Is No Longer Available

The Wave 12 results summary was released to survey participants and subscribers in August 2026, and the download has since closed. Going forward, each wave is distributed to our Substack subscribers only — subscribe below to receive future reports as they publish.

What Was Inside This Report

Every wave covers the same core measures, so results can be compared month over month.

Industry & Economic Outlook
How confident workers are in their sector’s economic outlook for the next 12 months, and the headwinds they name.
Institutional Trust
Which institutions workers trust most to act in their industry’s best interest, ranked from most to least trusted.
Leadership Confidence
Confidence in executive leadership, department leadership, and direct managers to make sound decisions.
Job Security & Personal Finances
How secure workers feel in their current role, and their outlook on their personal finances.
Regulation & Federal Policy
Whether workers see the regulatory environment as transparent, consistent, expert-informed, and supportive of growth.
Career Movement
Who is staying put, who is actively looking, and how that has shifted across recent waves.
Top Concerns
The themes workers raise most often when describing what worries them about their industry and their role.
In Their Own Words
Unedited open-ended responses grouped by theme, in participants’ own language.

Who Took Part

Wave 12 included feedback from 473 professionals across more than 20 industries in the United States. The majority hold management or leadership roles — from owners and senior executives to department heads and team leads — alongside technical specialists, skilled-trade professionals, sales, and administrative staff.

Built environmentManufacturingFood & beverage processingTechnology & ITHealthcare & life sciencesProfessional servicesLogisticsRetail & consumer goodsEnergy & utilitiesSafety & securityAgriculturePublic sector

Why It Matters

Workforce sentiment often shifts before business behavior does. Tracking confidence, institutional trust, career outlooks, AI concerns, and economic pressure points wave over wave helps organizations see emerging risks and workforce instability earlier than hiring or spending data would show them.

Get Future Waves First

New results publish to Substack subscribers each month, tracking workforce confidence, institutional trust, AI disruption concerns, and career outlooks.

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2026Workforce Confidence