The vibes in the workplace haven’t been this bad in years.
That’s according to the latest reading of Glassdoor’s Employee Confidence Index, which showed that 43.6% of workers had a positive outlook for their employer over the next six months, down from 44.4% of US workers who felt that way in May.
That reading reflects the worst employees have felt about their work since Glassdoor began conducting the survey in 2016, the firm said in a report on Monday.
Employee sentiment is also lower than it was in 2020, when COVID-19 slammed the world economy and spiked the unemployment rate in the US to a peak of 14.8%.
Employee confidence dropped the most in the last month among white-collar industries, the firm said in its report.
Employees in the legal sector reported the biggest year-over-year decline in sentiment, with the percentage of workers who said they had a positive six-month outlook dropping to 52.6%, down 11.2 percentage points compared to levels last year.
Employees in the energy, mining, and utilities industry and the government and public administration industry saw the second-largest year-over-year decline, with sentiment dropping 7.5 percentage points compared to the same month in 2024.
Here are the five industries where workers were the most pessimistic, according to Glassdoor’s survey:
- Restaurants and food service: 35.6%
- Government and public administration: 36.1%
- Arts, entertainment, and recreation: 39.1%
- Pharmaceutical and biotechnology: 39.3%
- Manufacturing: 39.8%
The decline in sentiment has hit its lowest recorded level for two straight months. According to Daniel Zhao, the lead economist of Glassdoor, it reflects the “steady cooling” of the job market and growing anxiety over the economy.
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“While the labor market hasn’t collapsed, workers are clearly feeling the strain,” Zhao said in a note, pointing in particular to mid-level workers. “As confidence erodes, the risk of turnover rises, particularly in white-collar industries still grappling with sluggish hiring and restructuring.”
The job market has sent mixed signals over the last several months.
While the unemployment rate remained near historic lows and the economy added more jobs than expected in June, the private sector lost 33,000 jobs, according to the payroll processor ADP.
Claims for continued unemployment have climbed steadily higher over the last year. In the week ending June 14, continuing claims hovered around 1.9 million, the highest number since 2021.
