The June 2025 Pulse of the U.S. Workforce reveals negative societal trends - worry up 480 bps, fear up 700 bps, and happiness down 160 bps across the U.S. population vs. last year, but also highlights surprising bright spots:

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• 73% of American workers say they’re happy in their jobs
• 63% report feeling engaged at work

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These emotional well-being metrics have held steady over time, even as external pressures mount. The data suggests that workplace relationships may be acting as a hidden safety net for employees navigating uncertainty.

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Beneath this stability, the data highlights a significant nuance: younger employees are experiencing less belonging and care than their older counterparts. In June, there was a 15-point gap in belonging between the youngest and oldest segments of the workforce, and younger workers were markedly less likely to say their manager cares about them as a person.

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This emerging divide signals a challenge for organizations: how to sustain connection and engagement for the next generation of leaders, especially in hybrid and distributed environments where informal relationship-building is harder to cultivate. 

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To uncover more real-time insights about the U.S. workforce and make data-informed decisions, download the June edition or subscribe for monthly access to 100,000+ worker perspectives nationwide.

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