In stagnant job market, worker sentiment ‘is taking a hit’

ADP survey shows worker sentiment continues to decline, capping an 'unprecedented six-month run of weakness.' 

Emma Ockerman

Wed, February 18, 2026 at 2:18 AM GMT+9 2 min read

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Workers are feeling crummy about their jobs, according to private payroll processor ADP, a sour sentiment that has been on an “unprecedented six-month run of weakness” amid a stagnant labor market.

“A lack of job opportunities is weighing on workers,” Mary Hayes, director of people and performance at ADP Research, said in a statement. “Faced with few options, they’re pressured to stay in their current jobs, and sentiment is taking a hit.”

The ADP Research Employee Motivation and Commitment Index, which contains data from 2022 onward and is drawn from a monthly survey of 2,500 US working adults, fell to 131 in February, down four points to reach its lowest level since May 2025, ADP said.

Workers were feeling especially glum at big employers with 5,000-plus employees, ADP noted. That comes as some of the country’s largest employers, including Amazon, UPS, and Target, have recently announced job cuts.

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ADP’s data tracks with the government’s official “quits” rate, a measure of voluntary separations that’s commonly seen as a barometer of workers’ confidence in leaving their positions. In December, the quits rate continued to hover around 2%, according to the latest data, far below the “Great Resignation” heyday rate of 3% in March 2022. The rate was even lower in certain sectors, such as manufacturing, finance, and the federal government. All three of those industries shed positions in 2025.

ADP’s Research Employee Motivation and Commitment Index fell to 131 in February, down four points to reach its lowest level since May 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero) · ASSOCIATED PRESS

_Read more: _How a CD can help you prepare for — and survive — a layoff

ADP also found that worker sentiment in manufacturing deteriorated noticeably in February, falling by 18 points, in the biggest decline of all 10 sectors ADP tracks. Sentiment among workers in the professional, scientific, and technical services sector, meanwhile, increased by six points.

As for the lack of opportunities Hayes referenced, government data for December showed openings were at their lowest level since the doldrums of 2020. Though the unemployment rate also remains low by historical standards, there’s no doubt that people are feeling burned by a job market that feels stuck.

Americans’ expectations of quickly landing a position after losing their job, for example, have for the past several months floated at or just above record lows. That job-finding sentiment, as tracked by the New York Fed, was particularly dire for workers earning less than $50,000 and those with a high school education or less.

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Emma Ockerman_ is a reporter covering the economy and labor for Yahoo Finance. You can reach her at [email protected]._

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