Workforce Confidence Index · Wave 8 · This is an excerpt — full report download available below
Confidence in Action: Tracking the Workforce Perspective
Fieldwork: March 1 – March 31, 2026
Career mobility
34%
Considering or pursuing new opportunities — elevated but stabilizing
Job security (lower levels)
49%
Remains flat; confidence strongest at direct manager level
Sentiment shift
→ middle
Fewer workers expressing strong certainty this wave
Industries represented
20+
Built environment, manufacturing, tech, healthcare, and more
Wave 8 findings
- Overall workforce confidence holding steady, but with fewer workers expressing strong certainty as sentiment shifts toward the middle.
- Rising concerns around AI disruption, job security, and organizational change alongside ongoing economic pressure.
- Leadership confidence strongest at the direct manager level; job security flat at 49% for lower-level workers.
- Company leadership and trade associations continue to lead on institutional trust; federal government support remains low.
- 34% of workers considering or actively pursuing new opportunities — a slight pullback from last wave.
Institutional trust
Company leadership
Highest
Federal government
Limited
Participants
Hundreds of professionals across 20+ U.S. industries. Most hold leadership or management roles, complemented by technical, skilled-trade, sales, and administrative professionals.
Built environmentManufacturingTechnologyHealthcareProfessional servicesSpecialized sectors
Why it matters
Confidence shifts before behavior does. Tracking sentiment over time surfaces emerging pressure points, resilience factors, and trust dynamics that influence hiring, investment, retention, and leadership decision-making.
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