The New Year is usually a launchpad for fresh starts and bold career moves – but not this January. Owen Morgan, Managing Director at outplacement and HR specialist INTOO UK & Ireland says there is a growing number of workers staying put in their current roles gripped by uncertainty in an increasingly fragile job market that could be put under further strain in 2026. He cautions that could do more harm than good.
INTOO’s Future World of Work research found that over the last two years, 50% of businesses have undergone significant internal change over the last two years. Such turnover points to a working environment which is leaving many workers in uncertain positions.
“What we’re seeing is a clear reluctance to move,” says Owen. “January is usually buzzing with people wanting a fresh start, but this year there’s a real hesitancy. People are holding on to what they have because the alternative feels uncertain and risky.
“But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re safe. It’s a grim reality, but there are redundancies happening at scale in so many industries. If that happens to those who are job hugging, those people may look back with regret that they didn’t seek extra training or undertake a career pivot because they’ve just been focused on holding onto their current role.”
INTOO’s data reveals that just 18% of people are looking to change employer in the next 12 months, it’s lowest mark since it began tracking the data in 2017.
Meanwhile, the latest set of figures from the Office for National Statistics show that vacancies in the UK shrunk once again to around 729,000 between September and November 2025, a small fall on the previous quarter. At the same time, unemployment has risen, with around 2.5 people now competing for every vacancy, signalling a tighter, more competitive jobs market.
“If people are waiting for the job market to soar again, they could be waiting for a long time – this won’t change overnight. It’s natural to want to wait until things feel more stable to take a big risk. But waiting for that to happen in the current climate might have some serious negative effects if people are ‘job hugging’. The unhappiness may continue to fester; and they may stop engaging with training and upskilling.
“We’ve found that over a quarter of people have a long-term plan for their career prospects. My advice to those who are job hugging until something better comes along would be to go for it. Start looking at practical measures you can take so you can be in as much control of your own destiny as possible.”
Last year, INTOO reported that 41% of people have undertaken a career pivot in the last five years. In addition to this, the data found that 74% of Gen Z believe work has become more important to them in the last five years – signalling there is an appetite for fulfilling work.
Owen said. “Work is important to so many of the younger generation that it’s important they take a look at what they can be doing now to ensure that when conditions change, they feel ready to make the move. It’s important to be getting ahead of the curve.”
“But even if you don’t fit into that Gen Z age bracket, you can still make it work. We found that 51% of millennials also think work has become a focus over the last half decade, perhaps for different reasons. But again, I urge those who are job hugging to seek the steps to pivot into something they enjoy, or a role or sector that feels more secure.
“If something is important, it’s worth fighting for the best possible environment to thrive in.
Part of Gi Group Holding, one the world’s largest and fastest growing HR and recruitment providers, INTOO helps people move forward confidently after redundancy or dismissal, with tailored support and expert guidance.
