Workforce Confidence Index · Wave 15 · Executive Summary Preview
Job Security Recovers as Career Movement Falls Away
October undid most of September’s unsettledness. Job security rose to 55% from 51%, confidence improved at every level of leadership, and the share considering a job move fell to 25% from 34% — the sharpest single-wave drop in the series. Industry outlook itself held exactly where it was at 32%, while the uncertain middle thinned and low confidence eased. Inflation and economic slowdown remain the leading threats, tied at 24% each.
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 held steady in October. Thirty-two percent reported being very or extremely confident, unchanged from September, while the somewhat-confident group grew to 40% from 37%. Low confidence eased to 28% from 31%. The headline number did not move, but the balance underneath it shifted away from outright pessimism — inflation and rising costs, economic slowdown or recession, and government policy uncertainty remain the leading industry concerns.
Industry Confidence Trend · July → October
Share very or extremely confident in their sector’s 12-month outlook.
After recovering in September, sector outlook simply held. Two flat waves at 32% is the steadiest this measure has been since the early summer.
Leadership Confidence
Confidence rose at every level this wave. Executive leadership recovered three points, department and team leadership added one, and direct managers gained three. The ordering is unchanged — confidence is still strongest closest to the worker — but the executive tier clawed back most of what it lost in September.
Job Security & Personal Finances
Job security recovered in October, up four points to 55%. Personal financial confidence slipped a single point to 45%, with 17% still feeling extremely confident about the next six months.
Personal Financial Outlook · Next 6 Months
Full distribution of financial confidence in Wave 15.
Personal finances were again the quietest measure, moving a single point. Within the 18% reporting low confidence, 12% are not very confident and 5% not at all.
Institutional Trust Ranking
Mean rank shown below. Lower mean = more trusted.
The order held for another wave. Company leadership and industry trade associations remain the two most trusted institutions, business media covering their sector ranks a clear third, and the federal government remains last. Just under three-quarters of respondents — 74% — place business media in their sector among their top three trusted sources.
Where Workers Go for Industry Information
Trust in industry-specific publications, Wave 15.
Industry-specific publications remain the most trusted news source by a wide margin, edging up a point to 79%. Trust is considerably lower across broader media channels.
Views on Regulation & Federal Policy
Views remain largely negative, but every measure moved in a more favourable direction this wave.
Majorities still disagree that regulation is transparent, consistently applied or grounded in industry expertise — but disagreement eased on all three measures for a second consecutive wave, and agreement rose on all three of the positive statements. Confidence in federal policy support remains the weakest reading on the page, though it improved: 23% report a fair amount or great deal of confidence, up from 20%, against 57% with little or none, down from 61%.
Career Movement · June → October
Career movement fell away sharply. 25% are actively job hunting, planning to start looking soon, or considering a move within the next year — down nine points from September and the lowest reading in the series. Meanwhile 64% report no plans to change jobs, up from 54% and the highest so far. The shift tracks the stronger job-security reading in the same wave, though whether it reflects contentment in current roles or doubt about openings elsewhere is not something this question can separate.
Leading Industry Threats
Ranked by how frequently workers named each threat to their industry in Wave 15.
Inflation and economic slowdown are now level, named by 24% each. Government policy uncertainty holds third at 13%. Labor shortages rose to 11% from 9% — the only threat to gain ground this wave — while technology and automation disruption held at 8%.
Top Concerns in Their Own Roles
Recurring themes in open-ended responses to “What’s your number-one concern in your current role?”
AI remains especially prominent, appearing both as a direct job-security concern and as a broader source of uncertainty about how roles and teams may change. Economic uncertainty and customer spending led the open-ended responses this wave.
In Their Own Words
Across industries, respondents describe a workplace shaped by rapid technological change, persistent cost pressure, policy uncertainty, staffing strain, and concern about organizational stability. AI appears both as a direct job-security concern and as a broader source of uncertainty about how roles and teams may change.
Participants
Wave 15 included feedback from 622 professionals across more than 20 industries in the United States, spanning leadership, management, technical, skilled-trade, sales, and administrative roles. Sectors represented include architecture, engineering, construction and mechanical systems; manufacturing and food and beverage processing; technology and IT services; healthcare and life sciences; professional and business services; and specialised fields from roofing and building envelope to energy, safety and security, logistics, financial services, retail, education, government, agriculture and environmental services. 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 15 reverses Wave 14 on the measures that moved. In September workers read their industry as improving while feeling less secure in their own jobs, and career intent jumped. In October the sector reading simply held at 32% while everything personal improved: job security up four points, confidence up at all three levels of leadership, and the share considering a move down nine points to a series low. A workforce that feels steadier in its own seat stops looking around, and career intent moved furthest of any measure. What this wave cannot tell us is which way the causation runs — whether people feel secure because conditions improved, or are staying put because they doubt what is available elsewhere. The threat picture argues for caution either way: inflation and economic slowdown are tied at 24%, and labor shortages rose. Tracking confidence, institutional trust, career outlooks, AI concerns, and economic pressure over time is what lets organizations see those turns as they happen rather than afterward.