A softening job market and rising unemployment means most professional workers are looking to stay put in the second half of 2025.
For those employees who are looking for a change, they're showing an increased appetite for contract work, which is emerging as a turnover threat for businesses.
A survey of U.S. professionals by business consulting firm Robert Half found that 73% of those respondents said they planned to stay in their current role. For the 27% who said they plan to proactively look for a new job, that’s down from 29% who said the same in a January survey and down from 35% who planned on looking for work in 2024.
Gen Z workers were the most likely to say they were searching for a new job, at about 32%, followed by millennials at 31% — with workers in marketing and creative and technology fields being the most likely to want to look for a new job.
"In today's market, workers are carefully evaluating their current role and what matters most in their career," said Dawn Fay, operational president of Robert Half, in a statement. "With fewer professionals actively seeking new opportunities, employers need to be more strategic in how they attract top talent for critical roles. That includes a focus on flexibility, career pathing and maintaining a positive workplace culture."
Among the workers who said they were looking to change jobs, most were driven by money, with 66% saying a higher salary was a priority. Other reasons cited among the respondents were an improved work-life balance (57%), a desire for more fulfilling work (42%) and better career-advancement opportunities (38%).
But a large number of workers planning to look for a new job in the second half of 2025 said they would be interested in contract work over full-time work — at about 71%.
Michelle Reisdorf, district president at Robert Half, told The Playbook the growing interest in contract roles points to a workforce that may be becoming more fluid and skills-driven.
“Even for those not actively looking, this can be a good time to reflect on what matters most in their careers,” Reisdorf said. “I’d encourage professionals to keep building diverse experiences and investing in different skills. It’s a smart way to stay ready and competitive for whatever comes next.”
Employers should be taking this moment to reinforce what matters most to workers — with employee satisfaction notable on that list. Ensuring workers are satisfied ensures a good company reputation — and that matters in today’s job market, Reisdorf said.
“If your current employees aren’t satisfied, that message tends to get out. A strong internal culture isn’t just good for retention, it’s also one of the most powerful tools for attracting new talent,” Reisdorf said.
Salary still matters, Reisdorf said, but companies also need to move quickly and offer clear paths for growth for existing workers.
When using contract talent, think beyond short-term fixes, Reisdorf said, as many high-performing professionals seem to be interested in contract work for the variety, autonomy and flexibility it offers.
“Embracing this shift can help companies tap into a broader, more-agile talent pool, especially helpful for specialized or project-based needs,” Reisdorf said.
The Robert Half survey comes as official government data shows a rapidly-slowing job market. According to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the economy added just 73,000 jobs in July, and previous months' job growth was revised downward — from an initially reported 144,000 jobs created in May to just 19,000 jobs created. In June, the new data indicates just 14,000 jobs were created, down from an initially reported 147,000 jobs.
Health care saw big gains, with 55,400 jobs created. Manufacturing lost 11,000 jobs. The overall unemployment rate remained at about 4.2%.
"Over the past year, the base of job growth has been narrowing, concentrated in health care, leisure and hospitality, and government jobs. That base further narrowed this month, as outside of health-care hiring, most industries were flat or contracted on the month," said Appcast economist Sam Kuhn, in a statement.
Kuhn said for the last year the labor market has been "treading water" and that it now appears to be cooling more rapidly than previously thought.
A job market that's been seen as frustrating for much of the year has only become more so in recent months. Surveys have shown there's a growing frustration with what's widely seen as a broken job market.
Among people who are searching for a job, 46% of those interviewed by Clarify Capital said they encountered a scam or a fraudulent posting during their seach, while 44% said they found so-called “ghost postings,” or listed jobs the company in question never plans to fill. Additionally, 17% said they encountered an artificial-intelligence recruiter or hiring manager, not a human, in their job search.
An extensive survey from hiring platform Checkr in February found 58% of surveyed Americans looking for jobs said securing an interview or response through traditional job boards felt "nearly impossible," while 66% reported applying for jobs that appeared to be open but were later found to be ghost postings. A majority of respondents (61%) said they believed landing a real, in-person interview without a personal connection has become nearly impossible.
The changing dynamics having impacted companies that operate in the career-search industry. The company that owns job boards CareerBuilder and Monster.com is selling parts of its business after filing for bankruptcy protection. CEO Jeff Furman attributed the move to sell its businesses to a "challenging and uncertain macroeconomic environment," but experts also blamed a flood of low-quality emails and applications, both fake and real, that have diluted the usefulness of generalized job boards.
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