Job Security Crisis 2026: Only 22% of Workers Feel Safe — and It's Changing Who You Are

# Job Security Crisis 2026: Only 22% of Workers Feel Safe — and It's Changing Who You Are

> **Quick answer:** A March 2026 ADP Research survey of 39,000+ workers across 36 countries found only 22% strongly believe their job is safe from elimination — the lowest reading in modern workforce data. More alarming: University of Leeds researchers found that chronic job insecurity doesn't just stress you out, it literally rewires your personality over time, making you measurably more neurotic, less agreeable, and less conscientious.

Job security anxiety is no longer a fringe fear. According to a sweeping new dataset, it is the defining psychological condition of the 2026 workforce — and it has a documented, measurable cost to who you are as a person. Understanding what that means, and what your response reveals about you, matters more right now than almost any career tactic.

## The ADP Data That Should Alarm Every Worker

ADP Research released the findings in March 2026 as part of their *Today at Work* survey — a global study of 39,000+ working adults across 36 markets conducted between July and August 2025.

The headline number is brutal: **only 22% of workers worldwide strongly agree their job is safe from elimination.**