Workforce Confidence Index · Wave 13 · Executive Summary Preview
Industry Confidence Softens in August
Overall industry confidence declined in August, with 28% of workers very or extremely confident in their sector’s 12-month outlook — down from 34% in July. Yet the picture is not uniformly darker: job security and personal financial confidence both improved, and far fewer workers are looking to move. Economic uncertainty, rising costs, policy instability, and rapid technological change continue to shape sentiment.
Industry Confidence · Next 12 Months
“Considering your specific industry sector, how confident are you in its overall economic outlook for the next 12 months?”
Industry confidence softened in August. Twenty-eight percent reported being very or extremely confident, down six points from July, while 29% expressed low confidence and 43% held in the somewhat-confident middle. Respondents point to economic slowdown or recession and inflation as the leading headwinds, followed by labor shortages and government policy uncertainty.
Industry Confidence Trend · June → August
Share very or extremely confident in their sector’s 12-month outlook.
After holding steady through June and July, sector outlook gave back more than it had gained — August marks the lowest reading of the three-month window.
Leadership Confidence
Roughly six in ten workers express strong or complete confidence in their organization’s leadership — with executive confidence up three points from July, to its strongest reading in the series.
Job Security & Personal Finances
Job security improved again in August, up from 55% in July, with 32% now feeling completely secure. Personal financial confidence rose modestly from 44% to 47%.
Personal Financial Outlook · Next 6 Months
Full distribution of financial confidence in Wave 13.
18% report feeling extremely confident — personal financial sentiment improved slightly in August despite continued economic uncertainty.
Institutional Trust Ranking
Mean rank shown below. Lower mean = more trusted.
Trust rankings remained remarkably stable in August, with company leadership and industry trade associations strengthening slightly at the top. Business media covering their sector remains a clear third — well ahead of state, local, and federal government.
Where Workers Go for Industry Information
Relative trust in sources of industry information, Wave 13.
Trust remained strongest in industry publications and professional associations, while social media and general media sources continued to rank among the least trusted sources of industry information.
Views on Regulation & Federal Policy
Sentiment toward the regulatory environment grew more negative in Wave 13.
Confidence in federal policy support weakened notably: 61% now express little or no confidence that federal policies support their industry, up from 55% in July, while just 21% report a fair amount or great deal of confidence.
Career Movement · May → August
Career movement indicators declined sharply in August. 26% of workers are actively job hunting, likely to start looking within three months, or considering a move within the next year — down from 34% in July and the lowest reading since tracking began. Meanwhile 60% report no plans to change jobs, up from 56%. Interest in movement eased notably after increasing in July.
Leading Industry Threats
Ranked by how frequently workers named each threat to their industry in Wave 13.
Economic slowdown and recession emerged as the leading industry threat in August, followed closely by inflation and rising costs — a shift from earlier waves, where policy and AI concerns led.
Top Concerns in Their Own Roles
Darker red/orange indicates a hotter concern in open-ended responses.
Asked “What’s your number-one concern in your current role?”, Wave 13 respondents most frequently pointed to economic pressure, AI disruption, workforce shortages, job security, and government uncertainty.
In Their Own Words
Across industries, economic pressure, AI disruption, staffing challenges, job security, and government uncertainty continue to shape how workers view their roles and their future.
Participants
Wave 13 included feedback from 467 professionals across more than 20 industries in the United States, spanning leadership, management, technical, skilled-trade, sales, and administrative roles. As in earlier waves, the majority of participants hold management or leadership roles, from owners and senior executives to department heads and team leads.
Why It Matters
Wave 13 shows sentiment splitting in two directions: workers grew more pessimistic about their industry and about federal policy, yet more secure in their own jobs and finances — and markedly less inclined to move. Workforce sentiment often shifts before business behavior does, and a workforce that feels personally secure but institutionally uncertain tends to sit still. Monitoring confidence, institutional trust, career outlooks, AI concerns, and economic pressure points over time helps organizations better understand emerging risks and workforce stability.