Confidence in career and financial stability is slipping across the U.S. workforce, with younger employees feeling the most discouraged, according to LinkedIn’s latest Workforce Confidence survey.
The average confidence level among workers has dropped to +23 on a scale ranging from -100 to +100. This marks a notable decline from the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when despite widespread job losses, the confidence score was slightly higher at +30.
Younger generations are bearing the brunt of this downturn. Millennials and Gen Z employees report the lowest confidence levels, both averaging +19 — down from last year. The decline is especially steep for millennials, who appear to be struggling more with the current economic and technological changes affecting industries nationwide.
In contrast, older workers are feeling more secure. Baby boomers reported a confidence score of +28, while Gen X workers followed closely with +25 — both groups outpacing the overall average.
This demonstrates heightening concerns across all age groups about job stability, career advancement, and financial growth, but they also underscore a particularly sharp dip in optimism among the youngest members of the workforce.
