• * How confidence in industry outlook remains generally stable even as economic slowdown and cost pressures continue to weigh on expectations
• * Where workers place their trust with company leadership and trade associations ranking highest while confidence in federal government support remains limited
• * How perceptions of job security and leadership confidence shifted this wave
• * Whether workers are maintaining stability in their roles or becoming more open to exploring new career opportunities
• * Which economic, policy, labor, and technology pressures professionals say are shaping their outlook

• * An updated look at workforce confidence as it holds steady overall, even as economic slowdown, policy uncertainty, and rising costs continue to shape industry outlooks.
• * Insights into how professionals are balancing cautious optimism with growing concern about automation, labor shortages, and shifting market demand.
• * A closer examination of job security and leadership confidence, both of which softened slightly this wave.
• * An updated view of institutional trust, with workers continuing to rely most on company leadership and trade associations while confidence in federal government support remains low.
• * Signals around career mobility, showing a modest increase in workers considering new opportunities in the coming year.

• Wave 7 reflects perspectives from hundreds of professionals across more than 20 U.S. industries, spanning the built environment, manufacturing, technology, healthcare, professional services, and specialized sectors. As in prior waves, most participants hold leadership or management roles, complemented by insights from technical, skilled-trade, sales, and administrative professionals.

• Confidence shifts before behavior does. By tracking sentiment over time, this study helps identify emerging pressure points, resilience factors, and trust dynamics that influence hiring, investment, retention, and leadership decision-making.

• * Future waves will continue to monitor how workforce confidence, institutional trust, and career outlooks change as economic, policy, and technological conditions evolve.
• * If you’re invited to participate again, we hope you’ll add your voice — helping us build a clearer, longitudinal picture of how the U.S. workforce is adapting over time.

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