'Grappling uncertainty' | Layoffs, AI & RTO mandates: UK workforce anxiety hits breaking point

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.

‘Worry is the impact’: Leaders warned to take workforce anxiety seriously

“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.