💥The Rise of “Job Hugging.” Are You Guilty?

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What's up, workplace death-grippers,

Ever notice how everyone suddenly turned into the clingiest partner in a bad relationship?
Workers everywhere are clutching their jobs like they’re the last life raft on the Titanic.

Fortune reports that 40% of American workers admit they're miserable but won't leave because of economic anxiety. The others are likely playing corporate hide-and-seek, hoping the layoff monster doesn't find them under their ergonomic desk setup.

Think of it as Stockholm Syndrome, except your kidnapper sends you calendar invites and asks you to "circle back" on your own imprisonment.

That’s job hugging.

You're not embracing your career, you're bear-hugging a cactus because everything else looks like a wood chipper. The job market feels like musical chairs where they removed all the chairs but kept the music playing just to mess with you.

Welcome to The Big Stay, where “growth” is frozen, “opportunity” is on sabbatical, and the only thing moving forward is your LinkedIn notifications from recruiters ghosting you.

🧨 THE RANT

“We value loyalty.”
“It’s about stability.”

Job hugging is corporate duct tape. It holds the whole wobbly economy together by convincing people fear counts as commitment.

Let’s call it what it is: economic anxiety dressed up as dedication.

Korn Ferry discovered more employees are supergluing themselves to roles even when job satisfaction is flatlining harder than a rejected startup pitch. Meanwhile, Glassdoor reports 65% of workers feel "stuck," with tech workers hitting a soul-crushing 73%, apparently even the people who "disrupted everything" can't disrupt their own misery.

And yet, HR still parades “employee engagement” slides like medieval scrolls of hope. Spoiler: the only thing engaging is the trap door beneath your desk.

The cruelest part? Management will still chirp, "We really value retention!"

Translation: "We've made leaving so financially terrifying that Stockholm Syndrome looks like a promotion."

Truth Be Told…

The real risk isn’t that you’ll get laid off, it’s that you’ll get trapped.

CNBC calls this period "The Big Stay," with companies running "no-hire, no-fire" freezes, you're stuck in payroll purgatory where you can't quit, can't climb, can't breathe, and can't even fake your own death without HR asking for documentation.

Executives look around at their stagnant headcount, pat themselves on the back, and say, “We’ve stabilized.”

📊 DATA THEY HOPE YOU IGNORE

All this data basically says the same thing, the job market is a rigged game of musical chairs where the music never stops, the chairs keep shrinking, and management tells you to be grateful you're still standing.

Unemployment’s ticking up, switching jobs no longer buys you a pay bump, and the only real perk left is disengaging just enough to survive without screaming. In other words, corporate America has turned “hanging on by a thread” into the new definition of career stability.

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💬 Real Talk

Here's the harsh truth: the problem isn't that this subscriber doesn't have the skills or the track record.

Twenty years in management and a strong degree should get you in the door. The problem is the door itself is locked tighter than ever.

This is what "The Big Stay" looks like up close. You send hundreds of applications, hear nothing back, and start wondering if you're invisible. You're not. The system is jammed. HR screens out resumes with algorithms, job postings are written for ghosts, and silence is the new rejection letter.

For employees, that silence isn't just frustrating, it's destabilizing. It makes you question your worth. If you can get into the interview room, you can win. The real battle right now is getting past the broken filters that keep good people shut out.

Use this stalemate to sharpen your skills, build a shadow network, and turn "stuck" into "stealth mode." Markets change, doors eventually open, and preparation pays off. If you're ready when that happens, you won't just walk through, you'll kick the damn thing off its hinges and strut in like you own the place.

💡 POWER MOVES OF THE WEEK

If the job market feels frozen, don’t confuse immobility with powerlessness.

Here’s how to turn “stuck” into “strategic: