Employees in 2026 are seriously worried about how unstable their jobs may be. So worried, in fact, that more than half say they’d willingly swap part of their paycheck for greater job security.
According to a new survey from Monster, which recently polled 1,020 U.S. employees across a range of industries, job security is of the utmost importance to workers today. While earning a decent living is massively important, as the cost of living soars, most workers would still trade a chunk of their salary for the promise of continued work. A whopping 54% of those surveyed said they’d take a pay cut for greater job stability.
Exactly how large of a pay cut workers would trade varied. The survey found that more than a quarter (28%) would accept a salary reduction of at least 5%, including 11% who said they’d take a salary reduction of 10% to know their job was secure.
Additionally, workers would also trade other massively important benefits to know their job was safe, too. Twenty-six percent said they’d take reduced bonuses or incentives, as well as workplace perks or benefits. Even the almighty flexibility was on the table, with 23% saying they’d even give up the option to work remotely. Meanwhile, 17% said they’d willingly pay higher health insurance costs.
Not everyone values job security over every other workplace benefit, however.
Thirty-nine percent say they wouldn’t give up their salary, remote work, their bonuses, or anything at all to ensure their job was safe. Still, the large majority (61%) feel that holding onto their job is the most important offering on the table, as that percentage of workers would give up at least one workplace incentive to stay employed.
The latest stats show just how important job security is to Americans today. And given recent job loss data, the numbers add up.
A recent Labor Department report showed that U.S. employers unexpectedly cut 23,000 jobs last month. After Labor Department revisions, there were 103,000 jobs taken off payrolls in May and June. And while unemployment fell to 4.1%, it only happened because 264,000 Americans stopped looking for work altogether.
Still, job insecurity is hardly a new concern for Americans. Last year, the American Psychological Association’s 2025 Work in America survey found that more than half of American workers (54%) said concerns about their workplace stability had a “significant impact” on how stressed they were.
“When people feel their jobs are at risk, it creates a sense of uncertainty that can affect every aspect of their lives,” Dr. Arthur C. Evans Jr., APA’s chief executive officer, said in a news release at the time.
Evans continued: “This cultural moment is threatening workers’ sense of stability, control and ability to meet their basic needs. And feelings of insecurity at work and poor mental health can amplify each other in a vicious cycle.”
