Job seekers are officially hitting a breaking point.
After a year of lackluster hiring and an increasingly demoralizing job-search process, many are sitting out the slog of finding new work altogether.
Just 43% of people say they plan to job search in 2026, down from 93% last year, according to a December survey of 1,504 U.S. workers from Monster, the jobs platform.
The outlook for 2025 job-switching “signaled significant optimism” and was on par with levels seen during the Great Resignation, says Monster careers expert Vicki Salemi. Many workers said the rising cost of living was driving them to look for a new job with a higher salary, she adds.
This year, though, workers are still feeling the financial squeeze but aren’t optimistic that they can land a new role, let alone a better-paying one.
As one economist put it, the U.S. is in a “hiring recession,” with 2025 being the worst year for total job gains outside of a recession since 2003, CNBC reported.
The overall pessimism is leading people to stay put in their current jobs out of fear of facing a challenging job market, also known as job hugging.
A slight majority of those surveyed by Monster, 52%, expect nationwide layoffs will increase in 2026. Some 40% of workers expect the job market will get worse in 2026, and another 40% don’t think it’ll improve at all.
Meanwhile, some 75% of employees said they plan to stay in their current jobs until 2027, according to a separate October 2025 Monster report.
Workers are sitting out the job market but picking up side hustles
In the absence of job market openings, workers (roughly half of whom say their pay hasn’t kept up with inflation) are turning to other income streams to pad their earnings.
Nearly two-thirds of workers say they’re turning to extra income streams this year, with 32% already holding a side hustle and 30% planning to start one in 2026, according to the Monster survey.
Workers are prioritizing job stability and income protection in their day jobs, Salemi says, “so they’re quietly picking up side hustles. They’re pursuing new skills through upskilling. They’re more selective about job searching.”
A side hustle boom could encourage more people to change jobs throughout the year if the market outlook improves, Salemi adds. Side hustlers could open up new opportunities, dip into a different industry, build contacts and potentially turn their passion project into a new full-time role, she says.
Workers aren’t disengaging, but ‘playing the long game’
Even if you don’t feel empowered to change jobs, Salemi encourages making the most of your current employee resources: Raise your hand for different projects, seek out opportunities to learn new skills, network with people in your company and industry, and have a conversation with your manager about what it would take to earn a raise or promotion.
For the roughly 4 in 10 people who are resolute in finding a new job this year, Salemi advises being more intentional and strategic in your search to use the smaller pool of competition to your advantage. That means tailoring your resume to the job description, including strong keywords, highlighting transferrable skills, and searching where the opportunities are (like in health care), she says.
Despite the sour jobs outlook, workers aren’t “necessarily disengaging with their career,” Salemi says. “They’re basically playing the long game in terms of preservation and planning.”
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