Forget the ‘great resignation’ and ‘quiet quitting’, employees are now ‘job hugging’

Around 2021, there was 'The great resignation', a largely American phenomenon that saw employees quitting their jobs in large numbers for reasons as varied as wage stagnation, hostile working environments, and inflexible remote-work policies.

Clearly, sufficient opportunities still existed for many.

Next, around 2022, came the phenomenon of quiet quitting, which saw many employees refusing to do anything beyond the bare minimum required of them. This was largely in response to increasing burnout, which became commonplace amid the ‘hustle culture’ and expectations of constant connectivity.

However, in 2025, there is a new workplace trend emerging, and employees are at the losing end of the scale this time around.

According to a wide range of sources, workers are now ‘job hugging’, or clinging to their current roles with dear life.

International firm HR Katha explains that people are not staying put out of loyalty or passion but from the fear created by the current economic climate, which is seeing widespread redundancies and shrinking opportunities across sectors.

“Employees cling to their roles not because they love their work, but because the alternative - unemployment in an uncertain market - feels too risky to contemplate,” the HR agency said.

A stark reality in South Africa

This phenomenon seems to be amplified in South Africa, where the unemployment rate rose to an alarming 33.2% during the second quarter of 2025, leaving 8.4 million people out of jobs.

Dr Sane Ngidi, 2025/26 president of the Society for Industrial & Organisational Psychology South Africa, said the phenomenon was far more of a stark reality than a buzzword in the local context.

“In South Africa, people are clinging to their jobs not out of a trend but out of necessity. They are staying put because of economic pressure, not necessarily loyalty," Ngidi told IOL. 

She cited a 2023 survey showing that over a third of South African employees are considering quitting due to factors such as rising costs and economic volatility. Yet, among those, 22% openly admitted that they’re staying, just because of that uncertainty.

“If we look at the real context, South Africans feel stuck in their jobs. It’s less about hugging their jobs and more of a need to hold on for dear life, out of the need for survival. So it’s a reality, but it’s not necessarily termed that or a buzzword in our context,” Dr Ngidi added.

HR Katha explained that across multiple industries, from technology to finance, a growing number of employees felt trapped between their desire for meaningful careers and their need for reliable income. The firm said the result was reshaping workplace cultures in ways that few organisations fully understand.

In sectors such as IT, where a booming job market in the past made employee disengagement less visible, workplace apathy is becoming harder to ignore.

Implications for mental health

Job hugging is also taking a psychological toll on many employees.

“If I continue in a role merely because I feel I have no other option, rather than because I genuinely want to stay, it naturally creates stress and inner conflict,” Manish Majumdar, HR head at Centrum Electronics, told HR Katha.

According to various sources, job hugging creates stagnation and slower growth for employees, while employers risk future leadership gaps and increased future attrition once the job market improves. It affects businesses on a number of levels.

Greg Roche, founder of Retention and Rewards Partners, explains: "A workforce that feels 'trapped' will rarely innovate, collaborate, or go the extra mile. They’ll survive, but survival mode doesn’t drive performance."

Experts urge employees to create a career plan, then focus on developing their skills and building their networks.

Employers, on the other hand, should check in with their employees, invest in their growth as far as possible, reintroduce flexible schedules, and practice general empathy, said Jennifer Schielke, CEO and cofounder of Summit Group Solutions, in an interview with Forbes.

“Bottom line is I believe what’s best for the individual works out to be what’s best for the company,” Schielke added.

“Job hugging doesn’t strike me as a category that serves either party well.”

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