- Fear of job losses, economic instability and return to office mandates stifle UK growth as economic predictions weaken for the rest of the year
- 41% of Brits think that automation will replace their role
- Workers worry while employers hiring intent drops 12% in a quarter
More than one in three UK senior managers (34%) fear they could lose their jobs within the next six months, according to new data from ManpowerGroup’s Global Talent Barometer, a striking figure that shows how global uncertainty isn’t just a concern for business leaders.
The Global Talent Barometer, which surveyed nearly 14,000 workers across 19 countries (over 1,000 in the UK), reveals a workforce gripped by anxiety over economic instability, automation and rapidly shifting skill demands. As confidence collapses, the risks to business performance, productivity and wider economic momentum are becoming further heightened.
A staggering 86% of UK managers now identify economic instability, corporate restructuring and mass layoffs as the greatest threats to their careers. This growing unease signals a crisis at the heart of organisational decision-making, one that business leaders can no longer afford to treat as peripheral.
“For months, the focus has been on how changes to National Insurance Contributions, the National Minimum Wage and broader economic pressures are affecting businesses,” said Anna Spaul, Director of Data Innovation at ManpowerGroup UK. “But the real impact is being felt by workers and that impact is ‘worry’. Employees are grappling with uncertainty on all sides: shifting legislation, the rising cost of living, economic instability and rapid technological change. It's no surprise they're anxious, not just about their own roles, but about the future of entire industries. And that level of worry is bad for the economy, bad for business, and deeply damaging to a modern workforce.
“As business leaders face increasing pressure to do more with less (illustrated by a 12% drop in hiring confidence in Q3 across the UK), the data is clear. Confidence is no longer a soft metric, it’s a core indicator of workforce strength and future economic performance,” continued Anna. “When confidence erodes, so does the capacity for change, creativity and commercial growth. The cost of inaction may be measured not just in job losses, but in missed opportunities, stalled transformation and lost competitive edge.
“We’re not at the point of no return,” she adds. “There’s a real opportunity for employers to act now, to invest in upskilling, embrace flexible, adaptive work models, and reconnect workers with purpose and stability. Workforce confidence is no longer a peripheral HR issue. It’s central to business resilience in an increasingly unpredictable world.”
Forty-one percent of UK workers fear their roles could be replaced by automation or advancing technology and 34% worry that their current skill sets are becoming obsolete. Yet fewer than half (47%) have undertaken any form of training in the past six months, highlighting a growing gap between perception and preparation.
Meanwhile, job satisfaction is slipping, particularly among Millennials. Once defined by purpose and ambition, they are now emerging as the most dissatisfied generation in the labour market. Nearly one in five UK workers (18%) dread going to work each day, with Millennial women reporting the sharpest decline in satisfaction in the last year.
Workplace policy is compounding the pressure. Sixty-six percent of UK workers are now required to return to the office at least part of the week and 8% say this mandate could make it impossible to remain in their current roles. Inflexibility, at a time of deep uncertainty, risks pushing out valuable talent just when businesses need it most.
