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Cracking The Job Hugging Trend: Insights From Executive Search

Early this month, I had the opportunity to speak to a group of people in job transition.  My topic:  Terms Tell The Story.  This is a presentation I have been giving (and constantly updating) for the last two years.  The terms – all since COVID began – are descriptive of what is happening at company locations and with their respective employees.  They tell a story of workforce and workplace evolution since March, 2020.  The evolution has been incredible and is still happening. 

It was 13 months ago that I posted a Blog on the Abeln, Magy, Underberg & Associate website on terminology – see more of Terms Tell The Story (see https://www.abelnmagy.com/blog/terms-tell-the-story).  New descriptive terms are coming out daily. 

The Newest Term – Job Hugging

It was literally less than 90 minutes from the end of the above-referenced presentation that a coworker of mine sent me an e-mail with a new term she found on CNN – Job Hugging (see https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/02/business/video/job-hugging-trend-egan-digvid?cid=ios_app).  This is defined as a new job market trend where workers are staying on their jobs longer due to worries about losing their jobs and are less confident about new employment.

In the back and forth with my colleague, with copies going to the Abeln, Magy, Underberg & Associates team, additional comments came forward – from our Sourcing/Research team.  They all agreed that this term is the explanation for what we have been seeing for the last few months – a lower response rate to our outreach.  We may now know the reason. 

We Had Our First Job Turn-Down In Years

I do believe this situation is very related.  I am not a believer in counteroffers.  This goes back to my corporate days (long ago – during my tenure at Farm Credit Services, Honeywell and The Pillsbury Company).  If a person has engaged in a job search or search process, participating in interviews and gone through the assessment and reference checking process, there is usually some underlying reason.  When we as an Executive Search Firm engage a candidate in this process, we hope the candidate is looking forward to a great(er) opportunity.  They are often looking at something happening (not necessarily positive) at their current employer.  They engaged in a process for some reason(s). 

The counteroffer our candidate received was a monetary match (to the offer the candidate received from our client) and a reminder of what opportunity existed in their current role/at their current company. 

Just for fun, I looked to see if there was research on the effectiveness of counteroffers.  There is quite a bit and it is very consistent:

  • Surveys of executive search consultants consistently show that most employees who accept a counteroffer leave within 6 – 12 months anyway.
  • Robert Half found through their research that about 80% of employees who accept a counteroffer end up leaving within a year (either because the underlying issues weren’t solved, or trust was broken).
  • The National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) found that roughly 9 out of 10 employees who accept a counteroffer are gone within 12 months.
  • An ExecuNet study showed that 60% of employees who accept a counteroffer leave within 6 months, and 90% leave within 18 months.

 There are solid reasons for this: 

  • The underlying issues simply remain – career growth, culture, manager relationship, etc.
  • The trust dynamic shifts – the employer may question long-term employee loyalty.
  • Short-term “fix” – salary bumps don’t resolve long-term issues.
  • Employee regret – the employee realizing the original decision to resign was for valid reasons.

Back To Job-Hugging

When I worked at Career Dynamics (an outplacement/career management company), we talked with candidates about a concept – we labeled it as ‘Anxious To Stay – Able To Leave’.  We wanted candidates to always be at the ‘top of their game’ as it related to their career.  They need to be active in their professional development.  Active in this case means pursuing opportunities to learn and grow.  They can’t wait for a company to provide the opportunity.  The employee should be proactive in their professional development.  This will help them internally and externally if/when needed. 

The ‘Able To Leave’ part of the above concept is for a candidate to always be ready for a move if circumstances warrant it.  That could mean a change at their current employer or a call they receive from a search firm.  Listening to that call is not heresy; it is not an overt decision to leave.  It is a chance to see if there is an opportunity elsewhere and to weigh that opportunity long-term with the current employer. 

Job Hugging:  That Explains It!

Our sourcing/research team is amazing.  They find incredible people – the passive candidate that is often referenced and not looking outside for a new or different role.  The lower candidate engagement numbers we are experiencing are explained however by the Job Hugging trend. 

While somewhat self-serving, my career advice is simple: answer the phone, LinkedIn message or e-mail.  Be anxious to stay but confidentially open to what opportunity might be out there.  And if it’s not an opportunity that fits you, there is an opportunity to network/develop a relationship.  (And we will call you again.)  

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