Salary increases are top of mind for workers amid economic anxiety

On top of heightened financial insecurity and concerns about job stability, many workers said they’re just more exhausted this year than they were last year. In 2025, 31% said they experienced more burnout year over year, with another 35% saying their burnout levels were the same. In addition, 40% of workers said they were concerned about burnout or mental health, making it the second biggest cause of apprehension after salary fears.

The workforce “has largely accepted uncertainty as a constant,” per the report, and workers in search of stability are taking on side hustles or upskilling to maintain their current situations and plan for the future. Gig work has become a permanent supplement to the primary income of 20% of workers, while 32% said they had a side hustle in addition to their main job. Monster also found that 16% of workers had taken on second jobs to make ends meet.

Meanwhile, companies are tightening their back-to-office restrictions, with 50% of workers saying their employer requires them to be in the office five days per week. Fifty-one percent of workers say the office is where they’re most productive, although 31% of workers said they wouldn’t apply for a job that required daily office attendance.

DEI policies also factored into the decision-making of some job applicants, with 37% indicating they would avoid employers who didn’t have strong DEI policies.

The adoption of artificial intelligence has also impacted worker sentiment. About half of workers (49%) said they were concerned that AI would replace their role or disrupt their industry.

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